The Fall
by sngsngsnyrslp
Summary: Madge is a free spirit who refuses to waste her time on the notion of love. Gale makes it his mission to change that.
1. Follow Me Down

**I'm half asleep posting this, it will probably need some revisions in the morning, but for now here it is. Enjoy!**

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You have to be kidding me, Gale thought as a shock of blonde hair stood out in the crowded meadow. What could she be doing here? Was she here as an informant for her father?

But then Gale remembered Thom's obsession with her and everything clicked. He had probably invited her. Her back was to him and she was sitting with Thom as he attempted impressing her by smoking from a corncob pipe. From his angle, he was unable to tell whether or not it was working, though he knew from time to time it did work well on the girls from the Seam.

Gale made the rounds around the party, stopping to talk up some girls, take a few shots, and for a bit just sit and observe Madge Undersee.

Gale didn't know much about her. All he knew was that she was a rumored man-eater. It was hard to believe, seeing her sit quietly at lunch with Katniss, making small talk when they delivered strawberries to her doorstep or listening attentively in class. Gale didn't really know what the guys had meant by man-eater. He had never encountered one in his time at the slag heap.

They shared two classes together, English and Chemistry, because she had been bumped up two years. She was always extremely prim and proper in class, her hair always in a perfect bun, ponytail, or a perfect French braid with a matching ribbon. Always put together. In class she hardly spoke, unless directly asked a question by the teacher or another student.

Plenty of the guys in his classes wanted her, from both the Seam and Town; and they made it incredibly obvious. Some passed her notes, which she read, mostly with a smirk on her face. Others approached her between classes to ask her out on dates, sometimes she accepted and other times she didn't. There was no pattern to it as far as Gale could tell. He had seen her accept dates from Seam boys and Town boys alike, though he did make notice that she mostly accepted dates from older boys. And she never had a boyfriend, which Gale thought that was odd. So many dates, but no boyfriend? Wasn't that what all girls wanted? Boyfriends to give them gifts and tell them they were pretty?

Despite all of his efforts, he couldn't deny that Gale had partaken along with most every other guy in fantasizing about the mayor's daughter. At times he wondered whether it would be worth it to ask her out. He'd never been rejected before, so he figured he at least had a shot. But she was the mayor's daughter, and would forever be out of reach for him and most every other guy. So instead he hid behind a wall of indifference towards her, though every now and then it cracked.

He had Stella Blacksmith against a tree when he heard chanting, and was suddenly pulled away to see what was the big commotion. There she was, Madge Undersee, chugging white liquor against Jess Finley, who was rapidly turning green. Now he could get a better look at her. Full red lips wrapped around the bottle of liquor, until it was empty, Madge looked back at her competition laughed to herself while wiping liquor that had dropped off of her chin. The crowd went wild as Finley threw his guts up on the floor of the meadow.

If it wasn't her hair that made her stick out, then it was her clothes. Just the way she dressed was enough to set her apart from the rest. Tonight she was dressed especially different from what Gale was accustomed to seeing her in. Paired with a modest blue skirt and what looked to Gale to be nothing more than a glorified bra though it was a tad longer, and was floral. It wasn't long enough to actually reach the top of skirt, leaving a good four inches of bare midriff for all to see. No Seam girl would ever be caught dead in that outfit, but on Undersee it didn't even seem that out of place, just a bit eye catching. To be perfectly honest, Gale could hardly keep his eyes off of her now that he had actually gotten a good look at her.

Thom had finally stepped away from Madge long enough for Gale to actually hold a conversation with him, though he wasn't surprised when the conversation landed on the topic of a particular Merchant girl.

"What do you think about Madge?" Thom asked hopefully.

Gale rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't know her, but yes she was hot. Definitely the hottest girl in school, and probably the hottest girl in District Twelve. "Why does it matter what I think? If you want her go for it."

The laugh that erupted from Thom was not exactly what Gale had been expecting. "Me? Want Madge?" He chuckled. "Not even, we had our moment, and what a moment it was, but no I was wondering more for you."

"You want me to have your sloppy seconds?" That was disgusting. Though on the other hand, Madge could hardly ever be described as sloppy.

Another laugh. "She's expressed some interest in you. I mean I'm not trying to hook you guys up or anything, she can hook you in just fine on her own. I'm just wondering."

To that Gale laughed. "Hook me in?"

"Yes, hook you in. Just look at her," he gestured toward the dancing girls around the bonfire. Madge was dancing with Bristel, one of his friends. Both girls were swaying to the beat of the music the band was producing, but there was just something about the way Madge danced that compelled you to keep your eyes on her. Her hair was down in waves falling to her waist. She threw her head back in a laugh, and it was probably one of the most beautiful things Gale had ever heard. Her laugh made you want to laugh. Her smile made you want to smile, even from a distance.

The red of her lips made her blue eyes seem even brighter. She was breathtaking. Well, she always was, but somehow even more so now in this state. Carefree. He envied her for it.

And as if on cue, as if she could feel his eyes on her, she began rapidly approaching the two boys.

"Hey wildflower," Thom took her outstretched hand and spun her around.

"Thomas," she paused, her full attention on the boy whose hand she was grasping."I didn't sneak out of my house for nothing. I want to hear some _rock and roll."_

"Ask whatshisface," the drinks were starting to get to him. "Caleb! That guy. He _loves_ you."

The blonde's face cringed. "Nope. Not happening. He wrote me a song. It was creepy. All we did was kiss," she turned toward Gale finally acknowledging his presence. "You can't even kiss a guy without them having them fall head over heels for you." Gale stared blankly at her. No, he wouldn't know anything about the power of kissing _boys_. "I'm sure you know all about that, Hawthorne, with the way girls swoon all over you all the time."

He didn't know how to react to that. Yes, he was aware of the looks other girls gave him at school, but what was it to her?

"How was the Townies party?" Thom asked grinning.

Madge groaned, "A complete and utter waste of my time. Ugh."

"I'm sure the boys loved your outfit."

She spun around, "I don't think it's that bad. There's only four inches of skin showing."

"And a whole lot of cleavage," Thom added.

"What would the Mayor think of his daughter dressed like that?" Gale added cheekily.

Madge considered the question. "Well considering he bought it for me, I'm sure he wouldn't mind as long as I wear a cardigan because it's just so chilly outside. These bustiers are all the rage in the Capitol, I'll have you know." She returned her gaze to Thom. "It's not a whole lot of cleavage! They were all over me; it was disgusting and it didn't help that everyone was already wasted by the time I got there. Those merchants need to learn how to hold their liquor."

Gale laughed, trying to imagine most of his merchant classmates drunk.

"What about you, Hawthorne? Can you hold your liquor?"

The much taller boy grunted. "Of course I can," he replied, staring back at her, as if challenging her.

Thom's voice interrupted their staring contest. "Well I better get to it. Rock n' Roll you say, Wildflower?"

Madge grinned, nodding her head. The pair stood side by side in silence for a few minutes, before Madge spoke. "You don't like me very much." Her eyes met Gale's again.

His head turned to face hers. It wasn't often that someone actually called him out on anything, other than his mother. He really didn't know how to respond to the merchant's accusation. It wasn't her personally that he didn't like. Maybe if he got to know her then he could make that judgment, but for now he could focus on disliking her solely for her place on the social ladder.

Her gaze was starting to make him nervous, which was definitely uncommon for Gale. But those blue eyes were unrelenting, expecting an answer, and a good one at that.

Heavy guitar flooded the air, interrupting the uncomfortable silence.

"I _love_ this song!" She skipped away from him, returning to the side of Bristel and a group of Seam girls. The girls sang at the top of their lungs, and Gale watched as Madge threw her arms above her head and moved her hips to the beat of the music.

Most of the guys around Madge had their attention focused on her and her dancing, but she didn't look as if she even noticed the stares. Her focus was on the girls around her, the girls whose dance moves and bad singing made her laugh and smile. That's what made it sexy. That she wasn't trying to be sexy. She was just having fun. Her mind wasn't preoccupied with thoughts about how to properly get the attention of the surrounding guys, herself alone, as she was, was enough to do that.

The song ended too soon, and as the next song began Madge's eyes moved toward where she left the hunter, whose eyes were on her. She grinned at that and gave him her best 'come hither' look, which she had been told was incredible. The hunter looked taken aback at first and narrowed his eyes at her. Why was she doing this? Did she really want to dance with him, or was this just a game to her? Playing with the hearts of Seam rats, similar to how some of said Seam rats messed around with the merchant girls. He didn't have much time to consider the idea, because Madge was in front of him, dragging him to the dirt dance floor.

Staring down at her, he was overwhelmed with how opposite she was of him, at least physically. Her skin was so pale compared to his tan hands, which were touching the expanse of skin that was not covered by the glorified bra and skirt combination. She was so soft, while Gale knew his hands felt more like sandpaper. Not to mention just how much smaller she was then him. There had to be at least a foot difference between their heights, furthermore his hand almost completely spanned the width of her back. She was so petite.

Every time he spun her, she grinned up at him, and the sight took his breath away. The red lipstick brought even more attention to her full lips, as if he needed more attention being brought to them. He had wanted to kiss her since he was about sixteen and she was beginning to grow into her own body. By eighteen he wanted to do a whole lot more than just kiss her.

But his thoughts were short-lived, because Stella Blacksmith was asking Madge if she could have the next dance with him, who nonchalantly agreed. Earlier he had had her against a tree, exploring her neck before he was called away by a certain someone's drinking contest. Now he couldn't concentrate on her at all. His eyes were too busy searching for a certain blonde-haired beauty. As soon as the song ended, Gale excused himself away from a fuming Stella and went on a search for the mayor's daughter.

He didn't know what was fueling this search. He knew better than this. He knew better than to waste so much time on a merchant girl. They were there for short-lived fun with little effort. Most of them couldn't wait to rebel against their daddies and hook up with a boy from the Seam, and Gale didn't mind being that boy. But Madge was different. Madge had left a Town party for this no-budgeted soiree, and it looked to him as if she was having the time of her life. She was interesting. It wasn't often that a girl caught his attention in the way that Madge had with just a few words and actions. Like the way she danced for example, it was filled with the kind of freedom Gale could only fathom deep in the woods. Madge was filled with it, and maybe that kind of freedom came with being the daughter of the mayor, or maybe it was something else. He sensed it was the latter, and he craved to know more about it. More about her in general. The girl Thom referred to as Wildflower.

Said Wildflower was standing facing the fence, a ways away from the crowd. Gale approached her, trying to make enough noise with his boots to warn her of his presence.

"It took you long enough," she turned to face him, uncrossing her arms. "There's a place we have to go," Madge grabbed the edge of the fence, raising it to allow enough room for her to fit underneath.

What could_ she_ show _him_ beyond the fence?

This caught Gale's interest even more, and he grabbed the fence helping her under, and followed. It was a lot darker here then it had been in the meadow, where a bonfire was lit.

The hunter blinked a few times, attempting to adjust his eyes to the vast darkness surrounding them. "You are moving way too slow," the blonde grabbed his hand leading him away from the fence.

"You should be more scared of the woods at night," Gale countered narrowing his eyes at her. It was dangerous enough here in the day when he could actually see, he could hardly gauge the level of danger at night where any creature could be hiding behind any shadow.

"Grab your bow if you want," she said nonchalantly.

Gale moved away from her, grabbing his bow and sheath of arrows. "How do you know I keep a bow here?"

The blonde grinned at him, "I have my ways."

He didn't press any further.

The trek was pretty far considering that the girl was only wearing sandals.

"How do you know where we're going?" They had gone far past where he was familiar with.

She had a confidence about her that was all her own, if she had gotten them lost Gale would not be able to tell from her body language. "My father has a map of beyond the fence." The girl stopped abruptly, and Gale knocked into her back. "We're here."

They were in front of a sort of creek, the water was looked clear as far as Gale could tell in the pitch black darkness.

The girl reached behind her, undoing the clasps to her top. Gale was frozen in place, accidentally dropping his bow and arrows in the process. Madge fucking Undersee, daughter of the mayor of District 12 was in front of him, removing her clothing and leaving little to his imagination. Part of him was relieved to realize that she was not in fact getting naked, though skinny dipping with her would have been quite the story to tell. His heart would probably have given out though, if he had seen that much of Undersee in one night. The bra she was wearing was yellow and covered in polka dots, while her underwear were cotton and black. Definitely not a matching set, which surprised him. He had always imagined that the mayor's daughter would wear matching sets of bras and panties, or at least that's how it played out in his fantasies.

His brain was running a mile a minute with the visual overload, and he didn't even notice that Madge had moved on to unbuttoning his shirt. Gale's mouth was gaping.

"C'mon Hawthorne, don't tell me you've never seen a girl in her underwear before." But Gale hadn't. Most girls weren't keen on stripping down to their skivvies down at the slag heap. So yes, he had gone pretty far with girls, but always underneath clothes, never actually being able to see what he was doing, though from what he could hear he was always on the right track.

He swallowed removing the rest of his clothes, until he was down to his red plaid boxers. Madge smile only widened when she could see the effect she had on the young huntsman. "It'll go away once you hit the water." Gale was mortified. The blonde motioned toward the water, "Race you?"

Madge was screaming in delight the moment the cold water encompassed her. Naturally, the merchant had won the race. It wasn't exactly pleasant to run at full speed with an erection. Though she had been right, the moment the cold water surrounded him, he lost his erection to his relief.

The young woman swam around him in circles, the moon giving her a beautiful aura. Gale was glad she wasn't talking because it would have been hard to pay attention with the way the moon was spotlighting her body. She swam towards him.

"You're so silent, why is that?" The merchant tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

Gale forced himself to look her in the eye instead of down at her chest. Fucking, moon. he thought.

"This district is_ killing_ me. It's so fucking stifling." The girl's eyes met up with him in agreement and understanding. "I was getting so frustrated with it all, so I went to the party hoping to lessen it."

"Did it?"

"Not really." He paused gauging her reaction, which was indicating that she was intrigued and for him to go on. "But you did, I don't know how to explain it. You're so free and _alive_. Some of it can't help but rub off on me. It helps move my thoughts away from that which I can't control, which is most things."

She waded toward him, moving through the water with ease. Gale's breath caught in his throat when she grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him. Slowly but surely his arms made their way around her waist, her skin slick underwater. Her kiss was disorienting, throwing off his entire being, but it felt so incredibly good. It was like she was breathing life right into him, not just exposing it to him anticipating it to seep into him. This was immediate. This was so much more exhilarating. And just like that it was gone, and he was breathing on his own again.

"I just wanted to know what it would be like," and with a blink of eye she was swimming away.


	2. Teasing

**Enjoy! Reviews are welcome!**

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Chapter Two

She had been on his mind _all_ day. The way her wet hair had felt between his fingers. How soft her skin had felt underneath his rough calloused fingers. The way her eyes shone when she looked at him. Those red lips. Fuck. Those red lips had even made an appearance in one of his dreams over the weekend, well the lips and most of the rest of her body, though it wasn't exactly covered in the dream. That body. No wonder every guy he knew wanted her. That body alone was enough reason. Just add in her beautiful face and carefree attitude and she seemed like the perfect package. But the perfect package for what? For a girlfriend? It didn't seem like she wanted to be anyone's girlfriend. But maybe she just hadn't found what she was looking for, right? Maybe Gale could be that. But what was so special about Gale? He had been called gorgeous by a few girls. And his personality? Well he was loyal, sometimes he could be kind. He could be funny at times.

His second period class was english and he sat in his usual seat in the back waiting for her to come in. This was one of the first times he was actually early for class. Usually he spent the passing period pressing a girl against the lockers across the hall from his class, but he hadn't felt much like it since his kiss with Madge. He hadn't felt like talking to any female since Madge. Even Katniss, seemed to burn a little less bright to him since his encounter with Madge.

It was weird how he had never noticed her before. Well, he _had _noticed her before. He had noticed her beauty, but not everything else that went along with that beauty. Yes, he had noticed her smile, but he had never noticed the way her smile lit up her entire face or the cute way her eyes crinkled too. He had noticed her body, but never how graceful her movements were. The confidence in her walk.

Those had all escaped him, and he couldn't help but wonder how he had been so stupid.

So he kept his eyes trained on the door to the classroom. Surely she would be arriving promptly. She was never late.

And this time she wasn't either.

She entered the classroom with the same confidence he was now able to notice. Madge's eyes found his and she gave him a small smile. And that was enough for him. At least she was acknowledging that he existed.

Not too long after Madge entered the classroom, their teacher Mrs. Chapman entered.

"Alright I want everyone to get into groups of four and discuss the first six chapters of _The Great Gatsby__."_

Gale saw how Madge stared at the front of the class. She didn't really talk to anyone in class, except when spoken to. There was no one in class that she jumped to talk to. So who would she work in a group with?

"Madge, why don't you work with us?" Thom had interrupted his thoughts and had gone up to her on his own.

Madge nodded, grabbing her book bag and walking towards their clustered desks.

"Hey guys." She looked towards Gale then Bristel and lastly to Thom. "Did everyone read?"

Bristel was the only one to nod.

"I got to the third chapter," answered Thom.

"Fourth," Gale added.

"Well I guess we can work off of that," she sighed and opened her notebook.

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While putting his books into his locker a piece of paper fell from between the pages. Gale bent down to retrieve it. This wasn't his. This definitely wasn't his handwriting. He opened the note and on the other side of the notes he read, "Was it good for you too?" written in small loopy handwriting. A small "M" was in the corner of the page.

What in God's name was she thinking? He could spend his entire days racking his brain trying to answer the question. She was beautiful, and he told her that she lessened the ache in his body. _Was it good for him? _It was better than he could ever imagine.

Maybe she was just teasing him? Gale hated to admit it, because he was a man and men were not supposed to like teasing, but coming from Madge he could deal with it. He could even maybe relish in it. Normally when he partook in relationships, he was in control. When he wanted to stop seeing a girl, he ended it. No girl had ever ended it with him. It was his decision whether or not he wanted to see a girl. They waited for him. But from the little he knew about Madge he could only assume that this was going to be very different from his past encounters with women. For starters, he already knew he didn't want it to be just an encounter with Madge, not like the other girls he had been with. He wanted more, yearned for more, ached for her. Already.

After lunch when he entered his chemistry class and sat at a table, Madge was already in the classroom. This time she was sitting all the way in the back. As he opened his book, he could feel her eyes on him. The entire period, he felt her eyes on his back, unrelenting.

The bell rang signaling the end of the day. He rose from his chair and began to make his way toward the front of the classroom. Then a small figure bumped into his side.

"Sorry," he heard her say as she made her way passed him. Gale didn't respond.

Again he found a letter, but this time it hadn't fallen out of his book. Instead he saw the small white folded piece of paper in his book bag. It read in the same handwriting, "Meadow?" But with no time written or day. He could only assume that she had meant today, and as soon as possible. But he had to pick up his brothers. Goddamn. Hopefully, she would wait.

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It felt as if his siblings had taken extra long getting out of school that day. Each minute that passed was excruciating.

He almost felt like running when he dropped his siblings off at their home in the Seam, but that would definitely be uncool and would create unwanted attention. No one needed to know where he was going and who he was going to see. It was none of their business.

When he arrived at the meadow, it was empty. No one in sight. But there was a note attached to one of the trees. The same paper as the others, but this time there wasn't any writing just a drawing of a clock that was crossed out.

He had been late.

Clutching the paper in his hand, he growled. Maybe he didn't like being teased by Undersee after all.

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**Reaping next!**


	3. Playing

**Reaping time.** **Sorry Suzanne Collins I borrowed a few good one-liners.**

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Part of him felt stupid for assuming that Madge would have the same feelings for him that he had for her, or that he thought he could have if given the opportunity. But then the other half was really mad. Where did she get off rejecting _him_? She probably thought she was better than him. Too good for him. No one was too good for Gale Hawthorne. He was a great provider. Strong of character. Kind, loyal, honest, even funny sometimes.

Who was she? Just the mayor's gorgeous free-spirited daughter who took his breath away. Well, that gave her some credit, but no reason to treat him like trash. Well she hadn't exactly treated him like trash. She just hadn't made much of an effort to talk to him in the past few weeks.

But he _had_ treated _her_ like trash. Since the incident, he made sure to give her either a grimace or a snarky remark every single time he saw her.

_After all, who did she think she was?_

Every single time she reacted the same way. Maybe a sarcastic remark toward him, or worse yet, she smiled at him, with that damn smile that lit up her stupidly beautiful face and made him both regret and satisfied at the same time. Regretful that he hadn't said something a little less mean to make her smile and satisfied that he had made her smile nonetheless.

Today was the day of the Reaping, Rory's first Reaping and Gale was in no mood.

With Katniss by his side, he knocked on the mayor's door. A few seconds later, Madge appeared in her Reaping dress. For a few seconds she looked a bit flustered and stuck the pencil in her hand behind her ear.

Her hair was up in a pony tail, tied with a pink ribbon.

She moved to smooth down her white lace sleeveless dress. The flash of skin reminded him of the night they kissed. The night most of her skin had become known to him. How slick it had felt underneath his wet fingers.

"Pretty dress," he muttered underneath his breath, half-hoping that neither her nor Katniss had heard him.

She didn't miss a beat, automatically replying with "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" winking at him and flashing him her best grin.

For a second, Gale just glared at her. She wasn't supposed to hear, and if she did, she wasn't supposed reply with _that. _Not some witty remark.

It had been genuine, but with that reply she couldn't know that. Or did she? Maybe she was getting back at him for being such a dick to her lately. Or maybe she knew she could get away with treating him like that because she knew he liked her. Knew that while she barely sent a glance his way, it was all he could do to not spend the entire class period staring at the back of her head? Could she see all that? Was she that perceptive? Gale didn't doubt that she was. It only served to bring up his defenses.

"You won't be going to the Capitol." He made it a point to keep calm, lest she get the better of his anger and win the argument. His thoughts tended to become nonsensical when his anger came into the equation. Secondly, he made it a point not to look her in her eye. Can't be distracted by her beauty. Not at a time like this, when he's making a point to her. You can't stand up a Hawthorne and expect not to face consequences. Instead, his gaze focused on the gold pin on her dress, which only helps to reinforce his prejudices against her class. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old."

Katniss defends her, and he lessened his attack on her.

Though she didn't seem to notice. With repose, she reached into her pocket and handed Katniss the money for the strawberries and outstretches her hand to grab the strawberries. Madge's head turned to look at her friend, "Good luck, _Katniss_." Katniss replied back accordingly and the door closes behind the blonde merchant.

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The next time he saw her, she was outside of the Justice Building. Her eyes flew toward his and before he could think of a snotty remark to send her way, her arms were around his stomach. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her waist. Without a word from her, he could tell that she was giving him this hug more for his sake than her own and he appreciated it.

He appreciated everything about one goddamn embrace with Madge Undersee. The way her hands were rubbing his back soothingly, though he didn't deserve her compassion. Despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but smile when he pinpointed her scent of wildflowers though he was sure that wasn't the reasoning behind her nickname.

Wordlessly, she pulls away, taking with her her scent of wildflowers and comforting touch.

But not for long because she intertwined her fingers with his and soon he saw the Justice Building growing smaller and smaller in the distance until he found themselves outside the mayor's house. While studying her face, Gale makes an observation. An observation that someone who wasn't literally studying every single detail of her face wouldn't have noticed, but he wasn't that someone so he had. The moment she crossed the threshold to her home her entire face tensed up. Places where her face had been previously smooth and calm now bore deep lines and crevices.

In the foyer, she kicked off her sandals in no particular direction and soundlessly sat in front of the piano. It took her a moment to notice that Gale was still standing in the doorway. Without looking back, she patted the bench. Gale followed.

"What did you bring me here for?" Gale asked, looking over at the blonde sitting so closely to him that their thighs were touching.

She looked at him through her eyelashes. "Well you look like you need some distracting and there are only two things that I know work well in a pinch. The first is this and the second," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively "seemed a bit presumptuous if I don't say so myself."

He laughed nervously, thinking about what the latter actually entailed. The thought of it alone made it hard to swallow. "What is this?" Gale asked motioning toward the handwritten sheet music strewn about the piano, anything to take his mind off of the latter.

"Some of it's written transpositions. Some pieces are too hard to just transpose offhand." She looked as if she was going to continue on, but stopped, realizing that Gale had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Some are harmonies I'm trying to work out and the rest are originals I'm trying not to throw away."

Slowly he touched his finger down onto one of the keys, the sound ringing through the entire house. "Throw away? Why would you throw those away?"

The edge of her mouth quirked up. "There are only bits and pieces of some of the songs that are worth saving, but I can't bring myself to throw them out. It's like throwing away a journal, throwing away a piece of yourself, a piece of your past."

"I wouldn't know," he replied smiling. "I don't keep a journal or write music."

She laughed. "You completely missed the point, Hawthorne." Her fingers pressed down on the piano keys, filling the room with life that could only come from Madge. "Sad?" A low note rang through the air. "Happy?" The note was high. "Wistful?" A few more notes. "Regretful?" More notes.

"I don't know much about music, Undersee. Maybe you could just play me your favorite song."

She gave him a sideways glance. "So sad it is."

And with that she began playing her favorite song.

Several different emotions flooded Gale's psyche. First, he was saddened by the music. The song was slow and reverberated through what felt like his entire being. What did she have to be so sad about? Her house was huge, big enough to fit five of his inside, probably with room to spare. She had no money problems. Absolutely nothing to be sad about. But then it hit him. Her house may have been big, but it was far from warm. It was lonely. Maybe she was lonely.

He wasn't used to this. Music had never made him feel like anything other than like dancing with a pretty girl. But Madge's music made him sad, but it also made him feel other conflicting emotions. Yes, he was sad that the Capitol had taken Katniss away from him to prove their stupid point that they were above the districts, that they could do _whatever_ they wanted with no consequences. But he also felt like kissing the girl next to him, which felt incredibly wrong considering the fact that Katniss was going to be fighting for her life. And the look on her face wasn't making it any easier on him. It was similar to the one he had been enthralled by in the meadow while she was dancing, but it was so much better. Whereas now, compared to this look, the "meadow look" seemed forced. Maybe it was forced. Perhaps the whole man-eater persona Madge had was just a facade. Though it would take Gale a long time to figure out the truth.

For now he would focus on trying to figure out how to kiss her.

But she solved that problem for him.

After the song ended, she looked over at him through her thick eyelashes and didn't hesitate to lean into him, pressing her lips onto his.

And there it was again. The feeling of her soft full lips against his, like a breath of fresh air. Actually, more akin to the first breath of air for a drowning man.

Madge placed her hand on his chest, slowly pushing herself away from him.

She grinned, "That one was just because I wanted to."

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**Thanks!**


	4. Don't

**Yay for two updates in one week!**

* * *

"Wildflower how dare you say such a thing! There is no way that you're smarter than me!" Thom yelled defensively, taking a sip from his flask.

The accused blonde began cackling loudly. "Let's consider the facts now, Thomas. I am two years younger than you, in two of your classes and I'm getting way better grades than you in those classes and in general as well. Hmmm. What do you think?" She looked over at the boy whose lap she was sitting on and then looked over at the girl sitting across from her.

Gale tipped his head to the side, as if deeply considering the facts. "Well I've known Thom my whole life and from my experiences with him I know that he's a complete idiot, but I've only had Madge in a few classes..." He began trailing off. "So I'm on Madge's side."

Madge grinned, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek as a reward.

"That's not fair!" Thom groaned. "Just because you like her more than you like me because she's a gorgeous blonde who enjoys kissing you. It's not my fault I turned you down all those years ago."

If Madge had not been sitting on lap then Gale would have definitely punched Thom in the arm, but instead settled for a few wisely chosen curse words aimed at his friend.

The status of his and Madge's relationship was yet to be determined and maybe it never would be. But for now, he was happy enough just being in her presence. Every time he was around her, she made him feel as if he were breathing for the first time, seeing for the first time, just experiencing the world for the first time. It was like nothing he had ever been exposed to. In fact, he had never been exposed to anyone that was anything like Madge. She made him feel so incredibly light-hearted. She was sweet and funny; she knew exactly how to make him laugh, which was a hard thing to accomplish. And Gale would never be able to deny the way she made him feel when they kissed. It was indescribable and he loved every second of it. Sometimes, he thought, even if this couldn't go anywhere, if Madge didn't want him to be her boyfriend, then he would be able to be okay with just being the way they were now. Just hanging out and kissing. Though he at least hoped he was the only one that she was kissing, he would at least ask that much of her. But sometimes, during the last few weeks of their fling, Gale thought that she wanted him almost as much as he wanted her. He could tell by the way her eyes always searched for him after school and the fact that they had been spending every moment of their spare time together since their second kiss.

"What about you Bristel, best friend of my life, do you think I'm dumber than Madge?" Thom was looking at Bristel with puppy dog eyes, as if that would make much of a difference in her decision.

The brunette bit her lip nervously, looking back and forth between the two, Madge then Thom then back to Madge and finally back to Thom. She frowned at him.

"Oh come on, Bristel! Not you too!"

With a triumphant laugh, Madge threw her fists in the air. "I told you Thomas."

Thom clutched his flask close to his chest. "I refuse to share with any of you anymore. You are all jerks, especially _you." _He turned to Gale narrowing his eyes then turned to Bristel who was avoiding his gaze. "And you! I expected more out of you, Bristel. We've been best friends since before I can remember."

"Stop Thom! You're making me feel guilty! Just because we're friends doesn't mean I always have to take your side, especially considering the fact that it was kind of more based on fact than just opinion. We didn't say you were stupid Thom. We just said that you were less smart than Madge. I think we can all agree that none of us here are as smart as Madge." Bristel stated defending herself and Gale. It wasn't anything against Thom. "You know what? Why am I even defending myself to you? You're being a baby!"

"I don't know, Bristel," Madge started, looking over at the girl. "I think Gale might be smarter than me."

And then Gale was clutching his stomach, laughing uncontrollably. Thom looked at him sheepishly.

"I hate you guys!" He yelled, stumbling to his feet and running toward the Seam.

Madge grabbed Gale's shoulder, pressing her head into his chest. Her stomach was in so much pain because of the laughing. Gale had placed his arms around her, holding onto her to make sure she didn't fall off of him as he was laughing just as hard as she was.

Bristel looked at the giggling couple and then toward the direction that Thom had run in. "Aw, fuck! Thom, wait up! Sorry guys! See you guys soon!" She screamed over her shoulder, running to meet up with a very mopey Thom.

"I guess I should be getting you home then," Gale whispered against the nape of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"That'd probably be best," she said attempting to get off of his lap, but Gale's arms were still tightly around her, his fingers clasped around her stomach. "Gale!" She yelled, now trying to pry his fingers apart from her waist.

"A kiss shall set you free, madame. Just one kiss."

Madge faked a huff and turned around to face the man trapping her within his arms. He was grinning cockily down at her. His grey eyes shining like polished silver. They were beautiful, his eyes. The perfect shade of grey, with no traces of blue or green, just slate grey, and when they shined they were so bright and beautiful. She ran her finger down the side of his face, slowly tracing the curve of his lips. Gale was watching her with steady eyes, following her eyes as they moved over his features, following her finger as it traced the valleys and hills of his face. After she had successfully, and not to mention _slowly,_ finished tracing his lips, her eyes flickered upwards to meet his. An anxious Gale moved forward to connect their lips, but not before Madge stopped him, pulling away and pressing her palm flat against his chest, pushing him further from her. Gale groaned, throwing his head back against the tree. All he wanted to do was kiss her. She was so close to him he could smell her skin, smelling almost exactly like the flowers that gave her her nickname and of sweat. It was frustrating to have her this close and _not_ be kissing her. So he tried to focus on the skin of her thighs, tracing small circles on them.

She laughed teasingly, "Patience is a virtue, Hawthorne." Her hand moved back toward his face, this time pushing his dark hair back off of his forehead. Then slowly she leaned into him, at first slowly grazing her lips against his. Gale growled her name, and she smiled against his lips. "Pushy, pushy," she whispered against his lips, a smile on her face. Finally she relented and pressed her mouth against his, taking his lower lip between hers. Gale felt Madge's tongue run over it, and he opened his mouth. He wasn't accustomed to having his bottom lip being sucked, but with Madge it was a welcome change. It was refreshing actually. Well necking with Madge was always new. Brand new and completely addicting. He couldn't get enough of her kisses or her touch. If they had been in her bedroom instead of the meadow by now he'd have his shirt off and she'd be tracing his muscles as they kissed or talked. That was nice too. Her touch felt like small currents of electricity. Not everyone could say that Madge Undersee had been paying that much attention to the details of their body, the way Gale could. Gale often wondered what it was like with the other boys he knew Madge had been with. Maybe he would ask Thom one day. It didn't feel the same for him as it had with the other girls. Every detail of Madge was sharper to him, more in focus. He wondered if it was like that for her too.

By this time, Madge had gotten his mouth open and her first move was to lick his teeth, making him smile. That beautiful pink little tongue. He was enamored by it. The way it moved in his mouth. And the way it allowed her to speak every word she spoke. He loved talking with her. It was what they did most of the time they were together actually. Talked about anything and everything. It was nice, being able to open up to someone who actually wanted to listen to him. That tongue that touched the back of her teeth when she opened up her mouth to smile. It was absolutely adorable. He doubted it was very noticeable to anyone else, even probably to her. It was most likely so engrained into her subconscious that she probably did it and didn't even notice she was doing it.

Slowly and with a smile on her face and that pink tongue of hers hitting the back of her teeth, she leaned backwards, her face getting further away from his and becoming more focused, the edges of her features growing sharper and sharper.

She got off from his lap and offered him her hand to help him get up, but instead he grabbed it and kissed it. From this viewpoint she looked so beautiful to him, so natural. Her cutoff shorts exposed most of her legs to his eyes. And her white tank-top was simple and rode up, revealing the bottom of her pale white stomach. At this height, he could lean forward and kiss it, but it wouldn't end there for him. He'd be tempted just to remove that pesky tank top right at that moment. Clothes took away from her beauty, as far as he was concerned. Or at least as far as his teenage hormones were concerned.

He rose from the ground, grabbing her hand. She walked along the dirt road, and had begun walking as if on an invisible wire. Perfectly straight and balanced, even as she clutched Gale's hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking on a wire," she responded very as a matter-of-fact.

Gale laughed. "You're very strange, Madge Undersee, very strange."

"But you like me all the same, don't you Hawthorne?" She looked over at him and despite that continued walking with the same grace and ease on the "wire."

"I do, I like you a lot." He stated and it was the truth. It wasn't often that he told a girl that he liked them. He was sure he hadn't said it probably since he was thirteen. Girls just knew when he liked them, because he paid attention to them and made a pass at them. But Madge wasn't like that. He wanted her to know that he liked her, really liked her. He wanted her to know that she wasn't just like all the other girls, a passing fling. Already, she meant more to him than all of those girls combined. She stirred something in him.

"More than you should," she replied concentrating more on the placement of her feet then the conversation they were having. "Fair warning Hawthorne, don't fall in love with me. Nothing good will come of it."

With that warning, Gale's thoughts were consumed with thoughts about a future he could have with Madge, and all of it seemed pretty good to him. "No promises, Undersee." He laughed. It seemed pretty worth it to him. Any pain that would come of him being with Madge all seemed worth it to him.

The blonde's blue eyes met his and she smiled half-heartedly. "Now you can't say I didn't warn you."

Gale stared at her. He noticed that when she wasn't in school or at a Town event her hair was ribbon-less and down around her shoulders falling in waves. It glittered in the sunlight, continually catching his eye as she walked.

But she may have been the kind of girl that Gale should fall in love with, but he figured he didn't have much of a choice in the matter anyway.

* * *

**I don't know why I always have the characters talk like they're in the 1950s, but it just seems right to me. I have no idea where it came from though.**

**I just love lovesick, puppy dog Gale. :)**

**Review please!**


	5. Saving Grace

**Can I just ask how sexy is too sexy? Does anyone have boundaries they don't want me to push? Because I kind of don't with this story. Inform me. Kinda gets heated, so just in case I changed it to M. It'll probably get to that level later... maybe.**

* * *

Chapter Four

While Gale is in the mines, underground, he can hardly find his voice to speak and for the most part it's fairly unnecessary. He assumes it's the from the fear. Everyday he fights it away descending into them anyway. After all, his family needs him to, so he has no other choice. He thinks of what his father must have felt going into this hell hole every goddamn day of his life. But when Gale remembers his father he remembers him as being brave. The bravest man he'd ever known. So perhaps he didn't fear the mines like his cowardly son does.

So it's silence for Gale down there. It's not much of a big deal to anyone though. The most he's ever needed is a grunt yes or a shake of the head for no. Thom understands and mostly stays silent as well. Gale figures he's probably just as scared as he is.

When they emerge from the mines, covered in sweat and coal, the sun is just beginning to set. Gale finds it so unfortunate. Entering the mines before the sun is barely up and then leaving when it was already setting. He only got to see the sun shine on Sundays, and that didn't seem like enough at all. Before Thom started making his way towards his house, Gale grabbed his shoulder to stop him; he had some things on his mind. He hadn't been able to get his thoughts off of Madge at all during the workday. He had begun sneaking into her bedroom most nights, well the nights that she invited him, which had been quite often as of late. They'd advanced in their fooling around. Now clothing was optional and when given the option of seeing Madge in her underwear Gale always took it. Though they still just made out for the most part, but Gale wasn't complaining. His teenage brain always wondered about what it would be like if they were to be completely bare with each other. Completely. On the inside and out. He wasn't stupid; he knew that Madge sometimes put on a show with him. The confident vixen, who engaged in relationships with no strings attached. How he wished she would just come off it and finally show him the real her because he didn't want a no strings attached relationship with Madge. He wanted a real one. One where they belonged to each other. Strings tying them to each other.

He couldn't decide which was better, thinking about Katniss in the games, being plucked and plumed for all of Panem to bet on or thinking of Madge and what he actually meant to her. Both were pretty tortuous, if he didn't say so himself.

"Can I ask you something, Thom?" Gale asked nervously. He had never been one for guy talk. What happened between him and another girl was strictly between them. It always seemed crude to hear the explicit details about someone else's love life. He just minded his own business for the most part. But he needed to know about Madge. What was she like with him as opposed to the way she was with him? He had naively assumed that what they had was special, that he wasn't just another fling to her, but was she? And what if he wasn't? What did that mean for him? While he was growing more and more in love with her with each passing day, he wasn't so sure what was happening with her. Was she falling for him the same way he was falling for her? Sometimes he couldn't stop himself but think that yes she was. The way she looked at him seemed so genuine, like she really liked him. And when she kissed him, God when she kissed him, he felt like the entire world fell away. It had to be the same for her, right? That didn't just work one way; it couldn't, or he could only hope so.

Thom turned around, now facing him. "Yeah of course, what's up?"

Gale rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Err... Well I was wondering what your relationship with Madge was like?"

His friend looked at him seriously for a second before succumbing to the laughter that was boiling inside of him, though he felt bad for laughing at his friend when he was looking at him so seriously.

"Well, for starters I would hardly call it a relationship. It was more of a fling, well not even that. It was nothing like what you have with her," Thom looked him in the eye.

"What do I have with her? Could you tell me? Because I have no fucking idea," he threw his arms up in exasperation.

"I can't tell you you have a girlfriend because you don't. She's not like that Gale. I knew that going into it with her, and I thought you did too," Thom placed his hand on his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "I don't know what happened to her, Gale, me and her were never that close, so there was no chance of her ever telling _me._ We had the lighthearted thing going on with us, but I don't think I can say the same for you. Maybe you can find out, and figure her out. God knows how many have tried before you, but maybe you can be the one who finally puts the pieces together, or back together, whichever it may be." He paused, picking his words carefully. "I see the way she looks at you, like you're her saving grace, Gale, and I don't think she looks at guys like that very often. She sure as hell didn't look at me that way, I can tell you that much."

He nodded at his friend.

"What was _she_ like with you?"

Thom tipped his head to the side thoughtfully.

"I don't know. Fun. Drunk. We just made out really; no talking really, some dancing."

Gale thought about what Thom had told him. Maybe there was hope for them.

"Thanks Thom. You've been a lot of help." He waved goodbye to his friend and headed to the mayor's house.

* * *

Usually when he snuck in through Madge's room, she was there to greet him. But she wasn't this time, though thankfully she at least had left the window open for him.

He heard her voice in the hallway. The hallway was silent. He figured her father had to either be in bed already or hadn't come home yet. Madge assured him that her father was hardly ever home and he had nothing to worry about whenever he snuck in.

Slowly and quietly, which thankfully Gale was good at being due to his hunting expertise, he walked down the hallway toward the light in the hallway caused by a creaked door at the end of it.

Through the crack in the door he could make out Madge, sitting by someone's bedside. He could only assume it was her mother's. Everyone in District Twelve knew about Madge's sick mother who was excused from most every event, and because of it Gale mostly forgot about her.

Her mother turned to face her daughter and Gale got a better view of her face. She had blonde hair, naturally, being a merchant and blue eyes. She looked a lot like Madge actually, but her blue eyes were dimmer and she looked a lot more frail. Gale thought that perhaps in her youth she probably looked exactly like Madge. When he thought of Madge, his first thought was her vitality, always. But Mrs. Undersee seemed to be lacking it completely. Though she was still beautiful. Beautiful like her daughter, with the same cornflower blue eyes and wavy blonde hair. She had the same delicate features of her daughter too.

"I know a boy's been sneaking into your room lately," her mother stated, her voice staying completely neutral.

Madge blushed looking down. "No use denying that."

"Be careful," the older woman warned.

This time Madge looked her in the eye, "I know, Mom. I always am, aren't I?"

The woman nodded, taking her daughter's hand.

Gale walked away before the conversation got any more personal. It wasn't any of his business. He would just wait for her to finish in her room.

He sat at her desk. There was a leather bound book sitting on it. Intrigued, Gale grabbed the book and fingered through it. It wasn't a book, it was Madge's diary. He threw the book on the desk, as if it had burned him. Wouldn't it be so easy? He thought. To answer all of his questions by reading it. Surely she would discuss them, or at least he hoped he held enough of a spot in her life to be diary-worthy. But that would be unethical. Reading someone's private thoughts, unbeknownst to them. It was a boundary Gale wasn't willing to cross. He wasn't that desperate to know the workings of her mind. Yet.

Footsteps echoed through the hallway and Madge appeared at the door. At the sight of him, she looked surprised, but the look of shock was soon replaced with one of happiness.

"I wasn't expecting you so early!" She exclaimed sitting on the desk, but not before placing the leather bound diary in a drawer in the desk. She looked over at him. "You weren't reading my diary, were you?"

Gale shook his head. "I just got here."

She smiled, appeased, placing her bare feet on his lap. "How was work?"

The miner groaned. "Exhausting. My back aches."

"I can give you a massage!" And with that exclamation, the blonde hopped off of the desk, taking hold of Gale's hand. She led him to her bed, unbuttoning his mining shirt. Every time Madge touched him, a fire erupted deep in his belly. She removed his undershirt as well, running her hands over his chest and kissing the skin over his heart. It was little touches like that that made him think that she was aware of what she was doing and was doing it on purpose. She could've kissed any other spot on his chest or stomach, but she chose the spot right over his heart. He couldn't help but think it wasn't just a coincidence.

"Woah there missy! If I'm going to be shirtless, then you're going to have to give up a piece of clothing as well."

It had been Madge's idea to have them match each other, article of clothing for article of clothing. She said she always hated when guys wanted her to be practically naked while they sat by comfortably clothed and while Gale didn't really want to think of Madge practically naked with anyone but him he thought this could work in his favor, and for the most part it did.

She huffed, "I'm wearing a dress, that's basically two pieces of clothing."

"You did take off _two_ of my shirts," Gale toyed with the strap of her grey dress. It was dark grey and made of a thin cotton. You couldn't wear much, in this heat.

"But that only covers one quadrant of your body," her hands were on her hips now.

"Quadrant?"

"Yes, quadrant. It's only top front... well and top back."

"If it makes you happy, I'll take off my pants as well."

The blonde grinned, tugging on his belt now.

Laughing, Gale grabbed it from her hands. "I can do that myself. You still have all your clothes on. I will not be objectified!"

She grinned slyly. "Touchy touchy." She turned around, moving her hair to the side. "Unzip me."

Languidly, Gale tugged the zipper down until it revealed the top of her lime green panties. He pushed the sides of the dress away from her back, revealing the paleness of it to him. He dropped his lips down to kiss the side of her neck, trailing kisses down to her shoulder. A smile tugged on his lips, when he felt her shiver underneath his touch. Then he grabbed the skirt of the dress and pushed it down so Madge could step out of it. He looked down at her ass. It was so fucking perfect, he thought. So perfect he wanted to throw a parade for it. Her entire body was that perfect. From her wide hips, her small waist, shapely legs and thighs and to her flawless breasts.

She turned around, facing him. "Now you."

Since Madge had already undone his belt for him, he undid the button and fly of his pants, dropping them to the ground and stepping out of them.

He fought his erection. God, it wasn't like he was fourteen anymore, he should have more control over his body by now, but around Madge he didn't. The worst part of it was that she knew it too. She always purposely made the move to remove his pants for him. It was so obvious when he was excited too. At least with her, he wasn't able to tell, well he could but that would involve touching her and they hadn't reached that level of messing around yet. As soon as his pants dropped to the ground, he was facedown in the bed. Successfully hiding his front bottom quadrant from her.

She grinned mischievously, climbing on top of his back. "Are you trying to hide something from me Hawthorne?" She whispered seductively in his ear. As if he didn't already have enough of a problem getting rid of this thing. Now he had a sexy vixen on his back whispering to him about his problem.

"Just shut up and get to the massage already, please?"

"Well since you asked so nicely."

Her fingers began kneading the skin on his back. He thought of her fingers, meant for the piano, made for it. But they weren't on the refined instrument, they were on the back of an exhausted miner working out the knots in his shoulders and back, and even working out some of the ones in his mind.

Gale tried to keep his groans to a minimum, but sometimes when she hit just the right spot, they were involuntary. They made her chuckle. When she leaned down to whisper in his ear, he could feel her full breasts pressing against his back. "Keep it down, or they're going to think it's something else we're doing." And at that moment with her body pressed against his back and her voice hot against his ear, he wished they were doing that. Even though he was still a virgin and she was probably some kind of sex goddess, he wished they were and he prayed to whoever was up there that one day they would and hopefully by then there would no doubt or confusion in their relationship. But he wasn't counting on the last part of that.

She turned him around, straddling his hips. Gale was sure that she could feel him, there was no way she couldn't feel him, but she didn't seem to make much of it. She didn't tease him about it or anything. She simply moved down and began kissing his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her small warm torso. A yawn escaped his lips; he couldn't help it, he was just so tired.

"You tired?" Madge asked rolling off of him and onto his side. He turned to face her, looking sleepily into her eyes.

"Yeah, I've gotta be in by six tomorrow."

The blonde leaned forward, giving him a peck on the lips. "Let's go to sleep then," she turned around, fluffing her pillow.

This was new. Madge had never asked him to stay the night. Usually, he quietly snuck back into his house in the middle of the night, making sure not to wake his siblings or mother. Nervously, Gale moved forward, wrapping his arms around her waist, moving her into him. She nestled herself into him, fitting perfectly into his body. Part of him had always hoped one of their nights would end like this, with a sleepover. He was definitely nervous though. He had never slept in the same bed with anyone other than his brothers, and that didn't happened very recently anymore. Not to mention that this wasn't just anyone, it was Madge Undersee.

She turned around, as if sensing his qualms about the situation. "You're doing just fine, Gale. If you want to go home, that's fine too." Her mouth tugged downward as the second half of the sentence escaped her lips.

"I don't want to leave." He kissed the corners of her mouth, wishing them to upturn. "But I've never really done this before."

Madge stopped; she had never really considered the idea that he wasn't as experienced as the girls at school let on. She grinned at him; it was pretty adorable though, the anxiousness he had at his inexperience.

"Well if you don't want to hold me, that's okay-"

Gale interrupted her. "I want to hold you."

"Okay. How do you usually sleep? On your side? On your back? Stomach?"

"Back," he replied curtly.

Madge pushed his shoulders back so he was on his back. She settled herself into his side, draping her arm over his stomach. "Now you can put your arm around me." His arm fell around her back, his face moved down and he kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight."

She smiled up at him, "Goodnight, Gale."

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**Review please!**


	6. Morning Calls

Chapter Six

When Gale awoke, Madge was sleeping soundly in his arms. Her blonde hair was strewn partially across his bare chest and her own sleeping face. The girl in his arms was completely and utterly beautiful. The usually confident look that was most always painted across her face was gone. Instead she looked innocent with a small smile playing on her lips as if she were having some wonderful dream. He wished he knew what she was dreaming about. Hell, he'd be happy enough just to have the slightest idea of what she was thinking most of the time. She was such an enigma it frustrated him beyond belief. Maybe he should have just skimmed her diary when he had the chance. Privacy be damned. He _needed_ to know what she was thinking and as soon as humanly possible.

She was often on his mind when he was in the mines. Her and Katniss: the two women in his life. (That weren't related to him.) It was odd to see Katniss participating in a "relationship" on the screens. It wasn't even the fact that it was a Townie that was weird about it. He had never seen her show any interest in the opposite sex in all of the years he knew her. So where did this guy get off being in love with her? Professing his love for her in front of all of Panem. Risking his life to save her, practically dying in the process. As if the games couldn't get any worse, being forced to watch your best friend fight for her life for the country's amusement, then add in some awkward romantic ploy and it made it all the more unbearable. Gale himself had thought to go down that road a few months ago, but thought better of it and now he definitely knew better. Madge, with just one look, could make his heart thump roughly against his ribcage. Katniss had never done that. Their friendship was all he wanted, that and for her to safely return home. Though Gale suspected that after something like that you never _truly_ came home. Haymitch Abernathy was testament enough of that.

_Fair warning Hawthorne, don't fall in love with me. Nothing good will come of it._

Her voice rang in his ears. How could he control that? How could he just _not_ fall in love with her? With the blonde who wasn't afraid to tease him. Who danced as if it were going to be the last time and she sure as hell better make this one count. Who didn't regard him as if he were some charity case either. That was too much to ask of his heart. The heart wants what the heart wants. That was a saying for a reason right?

He looked over at the clock on the wall. It was 5 o'clock in the morning and he had work at work in an hour. Slowly he removed Madge's tangled limbs from his. Her left arm that was laying across her side. The toughest part was getting out of the leg lock she had him in, but he managed well enough. All without waking her up. He layed her back on the pillows. She barely stirred, obviously too caught up in the wonderful dreamland she was experiencing.

She looked so relaxed and happy. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. Without the mask.

It dawned on him that this had to be all an act. The smart, dutiful mayor's daughter by day and the crazy wild child by night. Some facade to keep the distance between herself and those around her from getting close to her? Maybe. But why?

He kissed her softly on the lips before leaving. The smile on her face grew from the contact. It made his heart contract. He wouldn't give up on her. There was a reason behind everything she did, that much he had figured out. Gale just had to figure the rest out. Thom himself had said that she didn't act the same way with Gale that she had with him. So it seemed that he had the best chance of figuring out the blonde enigma than anyone else.

* * *

Vick's laughter filled the air when Gale approached his house. It wasn't a sound he was accustomed to. His brother was more on the serious side, and usually had his head in a book or in the clouds. It was what Gale liked the most about him. That he was still young enough to actually _live_, and not worry about the state of Panem or the Seam kids in District Twelve. Vick wasn't angry either, not like him and Rory, whose thoughts were too often preoccupied with the discrepancies between the merchant class and them.

When he finally reached the backyard the sight in front of him nearly shocked him enough that he almost toppled over.

Vick was on Madge's back, his arms around her neck, his legs wrapped around her waist and she was running around their small yard. Her face was beaming. A smile lit up his own face. _This_ was exactly the reason why he was going to fight tooth and nail to figure out who exactly she was. Her reasons for not wanting to be in a relationship and he was going to change her mind.

She never ceased to surprise him. If she didn't want to have anything more than a casual relationship with him then what was she doing here, making his brother laugh? Had she been waiting for him? Maybe to fool around a bit before the games started? Or did she just want to spend time with him and his family? Maybe everything she did was to fill the void left by her own never-present father and ill mother? Gale didn't know. Perhaps he never would know, but God knew how much he really wanted to.

He just stood by watching his sibling and Madge have the time of their lives. He didn't want to interrupt their fun especially considering it was Vick. Vick, who only smiled when he was reading.

"Gale!" Vick's voice rang through the air.

Madge stopped, smiling over at Gale and lowering herself to the floor so that the younger boy could hop off of her back.

The boy looked between the couple, his eyes moving back and forth. Smiling bashfully, he thanked Madge for the fun and the prospect of more books and walked into the house.

"What are you doing here?" Gale asked, dropping his lunchbox onto the ground. He moved toward her. "Not that I'm complaining."

She smiled as his hand ran over her cheek. "I didn't think that you would be complaining." Her head tilted forward and she gave him a light kiss on the lips.

"Are you avoiding my question by distracting me?"

Madge grinned mischievously at him. "Why can't I just want to kiss you?"

"Why are you here? You've never given any indication that you wanted to spend time with my family before. Just to reiterate. I am not complaining. I've never seen Vick smile like that before. Ever," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Something flickered in her eyes, that he couldn't exactly decipher. And then as soon as appeared it disappeared, a smile took its place. "I finished all of my work, and I was bored." She planted a kiss on his jaw. "Why didn't you wake me up in the morning I could've given you a kiss goodbye?"

Gale smiled down at her, taking her into his arms. "I gave you a kiss goodbye in your sleep."

She laughed softly. "So that's where that dream came from."

"Ooh, tell me more about this dream."

"Well, it wasn't anything much. It just started where we stopped off last night before we went to bed. You know," her hands traced the pocket detail on his mining shirt, then moving to trace his surname that was stitched onto it.

"No, Undersee, I do not know. Where did it go from where we stopped off?" He kissed her forehead innocently.

Again, her laughter filled the air. "I think you can use your imagination."

His lips followed her jaw line. "But I don't want to use my imagination." She could feel his breath against her neck, as he breathed onto it.

"Are you going to invite me inside? Or am I going to have to suffer the sweltering heat outside?" Again, she was ever the mastermind of changing the subject to evade certain topics.

There were only so many times he could steer the conversation back onto its rightful track. It was only natural that eventually he would give up. On another day he would try again and hopefully succeed. All of this bullshit would be worth it one day. All of the hiding behind playful banter. It just had to be. "It's not much of a difference in heat between here and inside, just saying, but you're more than welcome inside."

He grabbed her hand, and led her into the small two-bedroom house. It was empty, except for Vick. "Vick?" The thin boy's head popped out from behind the couch. Vick had made it a habit to sit on the floor in front of the couch, even when there wasn't anyone sitting on it. "Where is everyone?"

"Vick was the only person here when I got here."

"Ma went with Pose to deliver laundry and Rory went out. They should be home before the games start, I'm sure."

Gale nodded, sitting on the couch. Madge hadn't followed. She was walking around the house, taking it all in. She stopped in front of a family portrait, all of the Hawthornes were present, even Posy, though she was in literally inside of his mother at the time. It was one of the only photographs they had of their father. People from the Seam couldn't afford to have photographs taken for the most part, and they definitely couldn't afford to have someone paint a portrait of them like he knew one existed in the foyer of the mayor's house.

Gale rose from the couch. "I'm going to change." Madge smirked at him, as if to ask, "Can I watch?" but knew better because his sibling was in the room, staring at them.

While Gale was in his bedroom changing, a small dark-haired girl emerged from the doorway followed by an older thin woman, who looked more like Vick than Gale. She had the same big grey eyes, high cheekbones and button nose.

"Who are you?" Posy asked, looking up at her and tugging on her brown skirt.

"Posy!" Gale's mother scolded. "Be polite." She turned to look at Madge. "I'm sorry Margaret, you're probably used to much better hospitality and dwellings." His mother looked embarrassed to have her in her home, but she didn't even make much of it.

"Oh! It's a lot more inviting then most of the houses in the Town, I can assure you that." Madge kneeled down to meet Posy's eyes. "I'm Madge." She stuck out her hand for the small girl to shake, which she did. "You must be Posy. Gale talks about you all the time."

Vick was standing beside them now. "Gale talks about you all the time too, but mostly when he's sleeping."

In any other situation Madge wouldn't have blushed, she probably would have just laughed, but in the presence of Gale's mother she had the decency to blush a deep crimson.

Mrs. Hawthorne looked away, a smile on her face. She turned back after a moment and stuck her hand out to Madge, who rose to stand on her feet. "I'm Hazelle, Gale's mother."

"You can call me Madge, by the way," she smiled at the woman warmly.

Gale emerged from his shared bedroom, his hands across his chest. He had changed out of his mining uniform and into a forest green t-shirt and jeans. "I see everyone's met each other. We should probably sit down, the games are going to start soon."

During the Games Gale's hand was in Madge's and he squeezed every time he felt the need to, which was a lot. Two deaths occurred on tonight's showing. The death of Rue, Katniss's ally, a small girl from Eleven who reminded him too much of Prim and the death of Marvel, who had just finished killing Rue. Gale could see the shock of realization on Katniss's face when it finally sunk in that she had actually killed Marvel. He had been wrong when he had told her that hunting game was the same was hunting humans. By the look on her face, he could see that that wasn't true, no, not at all.

When she came back she wouldn't be his Catnip anymore.

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**Review please!**


	7. Inside

**Sorry for the long update time, I was on vacation. But now I'm back! Alright warning: this is where the Mature comes in, so be warned. It's my first time writing anything like this so be warned about that too. Other than that, enjoy!**

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Chapter Seven

The curtains were tightly drawn shut so all Gale could see were the shadows cast by the furniture and by two figures moving about in the Undersee's living room. Despite the fact that he may have not been getting a particularly good visual, he did have excellent audio to the inside of the house.

Usually, if this were any other girl, he would probably just have left or waited inside her room, not wanting to get mixed up in anything that wasn't his business. But this wasn't just any other girl. This was the girl he was rapidly falling in love with, the enigmatic woman who rarely let him see inside of her. So even though he had been raised better he couldn't control himself. Any clues to the inside of her life, and maybe even some of her thoughts was better than what he had, which was a whole lot of nothing. Gale never realized that he have hour-long conversations with someone and yet still know barely anything about them. Maybe he was exaggerating. He did know some stuff. He knew that she had the same hatred for the Games and the Capitol as he did. He knew that she was funny and intelligent, but as for all of the deep emotional stuff? Her thoughts on him and their "relationship" if she even considered it to be one? That part of her was unknown to him.

He was standing by the side of the house, at the back door, trying to be as invisible as possible as he looked into the window at the side of the house. It gave him the same view of the living room, but he was less conspicuous this way. His body was pressed against the cool brick of her house. Imagine how embarrassing it would be for someone to see him, either mistaking him as a thief or a peeping tom. Neither of which he wanted to be accused of. And then her father would find out and he would probably have him flogged in the square.

"Maggie, please. I am begging you. I'm your father, you just _have_ to forgive me." Mayor Undersee was pleading to his daughter. Why was he asking forgiveness? What had he done to Madge?

He heard Madge laugh, but it wasn't the king of laugh that automatically brought a smile to his face, filling Gale with warmth that he couldn't explain or get anywhere else. Instead it was dry and bitter, and didn't sit well with him. "_Now_ you're my father, Arthur? Well that's rich. Now that I've raised myself, you're my dad?" He watched her figure walk away from him, only to turn back around and take a step in her father's direction. "I used to wait up for you to come home from work, do you remember that? I slept on that couch every single night for over a year. But you never came home early, not even once, and I _know_ that you weren't always working. I waited every night that year for you, and then I saw _her. _Well one of them. I never waited up for you again. Talk about a waste of time." Another dry laugh escaped her lips. "And you may have her forgiveness, but you will never have mine. _Ever_." The anger in her voice was shocking to Gale. She had never seemed to him as someone who was capable of such hostility and resentment, especially not toward her father. He had always taken her for a daddy's girl, the mayor's little angel. But maybe it had only seemed that way because he was obviously desperate to make reparations with a very unwilling daughter. And in public, at district events, she always stood by his side, the picture perfect daughter. Damn did that girl know how to act if this was how she really felt about him.

There was shuffling, the mayor's figure moving toward Madge's and then she yelled, "Don't you touch me!" There was a pause, the mayor's sharp intake of breath at his daughter's outburst. "You disgust me. Do you know that? She's _dying._ And _now_ you want to ask for forgiveness? You just want to be cleared of your conscious before she goes. Well it's not going to be that easy Arthur, at least not as far as I'm concerned." The anger was falling away from her voice and Gale could hear her pain. It made his chest tighten and ache. "I feel bad for you, Arthur." The mayor didn't reply. "Because when she's gone, you'll have no one left."

Gale walked away from the side of the house, and walked toward the back towards Madge's room. He climbed the white oak that stood outside of her room and into her window. They were still yelling, but their voices were muffled and he couldn't make out much of anything from up here. He didn't mind this time though; he had heard enough downstairs.

But he couldn't help but ponder what he had heard. What had Madge's father done to strip him of all her respect? It had something to do with a woman and her father, and obviously asking forgiveness from her mother and Madge. Had he slept with another woman? Cheated on his ill wife? He had noticed how she didn't even call him "Dad," but instead used his first name. And it had been some hurt that both her and her mother shared? He wasn't going to pry. After all, he wasn't supposed to be listening in the first place.

Suddenly, there was a minute of silence followed by bare feet padding up the stairs. He knew the footsteps to belong to none other than Madge herself; the rhythm she ran up the stairs to. He could recognize them now that he spent a good amount of time waiting for her to ascend the stairs to find him waiting in her room, mining shirt off along with his boots. But this time they were still on.

Thankfully so, because this time she definitely didn't look happy to see him. In fact, she certainly looked on the brink of tears, the wetness brimming her eyes. Her blue eyes met his and she shook her head. Her arms were wrapping tightly around her body, as if she were trying to comfort herself with a self-given embrace.

"Not tonight Gale," but she choked on her words and a sob escaped her. Quickly, Gale grabbed her in his arms, holding her to his chest. He rubbed her back as she let out a few more sobs, clutching the front of his shirt and burying her face in it.

Rapidly she pulled away and pushed Gale away from her. He was dumbfounded. What was she doing? Finally she had let him get inside. Even if he didn't know the particular happenings behind her tears, she was letting him see some real emotions.

"Get out," she muttered under her breath. It was obvious that she was refusing to look him in the eye, for some reason or another.

"What?" even though he knew what she had said, it still bared repeating. One step forward, two steps back. Always the same thing. He was only allowed a hint behind the mask, before it was all taken away.

"I don't want you here, how else can I get that across?" Her eyes were downcast. She couldn't even look him in the eye to say it.

Gale grabbed her arm. "Why do you keep pushing me away?"

She looked up at him, but she didn't answer. "Out." She turned away from him, shaking his hold off of her arm. "I just want to be alone."

Reluctantly, Gale climbed out of the window, never turning back. If she didn't want him there then he wasn't going to force her to accept his presence.

He stood outside of the mayor's house, and by the white oak tree leaning against it trying to decipher what had happened inside of Madge's room. Why was she acting like that? It wasn't as if Gale wasn't willing to listen. He was all ears.

She had looked so broken. So hurt. Why wouldn't she just let him make it better? If she was dealing with the inevitable death of her mother, he could help with that. He had lost his father four years ago, it was still a fresh wound as far as he was concerned. And if she was dealing with something he wasn't unfamiliar with, he could still be someone to lean on. That was all he wanted. Was that too much to ask for?

"Fuck that," he muttered under his breath. With a grunt, Gale climbed the tree again. He wasn't just going to let Madge have all the say in their relationship. If he wanted to stay and comfort her then he was going to do just that. Fuck this constant back and forth bullshit. He wasn't going to just let her push him away. He had some pull in the relationship as well. It wasn't just always what Madge wanted.

Gale successfully climbed back into her bedroom without making much of a sound. She hadn't closed her bedroom window, thankfully, which made the trip back up that much easier.

Her back was facing him when his feet steadied themselves on the hard wood floors of her bedroom. The blonde was sitting at the edge of her bed, looking at the blank expanse of her bedroom wall. She wasn't crying from what he could tell. Her breathing was even, and her body wasn't heaving in sobs or anything like that. Suddenly her voice filled the room, addressing him, despite the fact that she wasn't even facing him. "Do you realize that once my mother's gone, I'll be completely alone? I'll have no one left." She paused, taking a deep breath. "No one's going to care about me the way she does, love me the way she does. You know, no one loves you like your mom does." The blonde looked over her shoulder at him, and he couldn't bear to see how fragile and broken she looked. She may have not been crying right at that moment, but her eyes were still glassy. Her shoulders were slumped. This was the girl behind the mask, someone who feared being alone. Feared being unloved. Feared being forgotten. Maybe that was why she was constantly going guy from guy. To prove to herself that she could be loved? Gale didn't know. He wasn't a goddamn shrink. He was just a regular miner who just happened to be in love with the mayor's beautiful broken daughter.

He took her small face in his hands, forcing her to stare back at him. "You listen to me, and remember this. I don't know what happened between you and you father, but I know he does love you. But even despite that. You will never be forgotten and overlooked because _I_ care about you Madge. _I _care what happens to you. I will always be there for you when you need it. You mean a lot to me."

Although he should have been prepared because Madge is a surprising individual, he wasn't. He wasn't prepared for Madge to launch herself at him, crushing her lips against his, along with the rest of her body. There was desperation in her kisses, as if she could never get enough of him. As if he was her drug, and with each kiss she perilously found herself chasing the dragon. Gale only knew this because it was a familiar feeling to him. His hands were exploring different, unchartered places of her body. _God,_ he thought_, please for once in my goddamn life let me have what I really want_. _I have absolutely nothing, just let me have her__**. All**__ of her, _he pleaded.

Each time her body was exposed to him, he took his time taking every piece of it in. But this time, things had gotten further than just examinations. Madge tore off his clothing until he was only left in his navy blue boxers with frayed edges, but she hadn't even noticed. How could she have? Everything that was happening was teeming with passion. Her lips against his, her bare skin against his. He felt as if his whole being was burning and he welcomed it. It didn't even feel like he was in control of his body anymore; everything was instinctual. He couldn't even remember reaching behind her to unclasp her bra, but when he looked down there it was, purple, and lyaing limply on the floor. And his hands had already moved themselves to cupping her newly released breasts. The blonde moved her face down and proceeded to kiss his neck, gently biting and teasing the sensitive flesh. A groan emerged from within him, from deep inside him. After leaving a few more lingering kisses, she made eye contact, whispering, "I need you." _I need you._ He repeated it back to himself in his mind, again and again. She didn't just want him. He wasn't just some disposable plaything to her anymore. She _needed_ him. The look on her face told him as much too, pleading and hasty. It had seemed to him as if she was partially surprised that she had let it slip out of her mouth in the first place.

She was completely vulnerable to him, exposed in her peach panties. It was almost as if she were asking him if he would have her. He had all the power now. The power to reject her, to leave, and make her worst fears a reality.

She tugged at his boxers, kicking them off the bed and he made work of stripping Madge of her underwear. She lifted her hips, making it easier for him. When they were finally both exposed, Gale paused, lifting his body off of hers to take her in. His eyes took in her body, covered in flawless pearly pale skin. After the first few moments, she began looking anxious and propped herself up by her elbows. She looked as if she was going to say something, but he stopped her. "Beautiful," he whispered, he moved his head down, brushing hips lips against hers. "So beautiful."

Her eyes widened slightly at the compliment, but she said nothing.

"Are you ready?" She asked, pressing her forehead against his. Her stare was unrelenting, searching for any signs of uncertainty. There weren't any as far as she could tell.

He nodded and bent down again to kiss her.

Being the more experienced of the two, Madge made the first move when she took him in her hand. Gale groaned at the contact. She led him to her entrance. "Just go slow, okay?"

Gale nodded, and pressed into her a little too rapidly for comfort's sake. The blonde grabbed his shoulders tightly and hissed his name through her teeth. The miner froze and promptly began apologizing over and over again. Madge reassured him, as her breathing began returning to a semi-normal state, or as normal as it could be while doing what they were doing.

"Take two?" Madge offered, a smile playing on her lips.

"Again, I'm sorry." A blush appeared on his cheeks. "I guess I was a tad over zealous."

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Okay, when I say slow, I mean it, this isn't just for my sake."

Gale smiled and kissed her on the lips. He pressed into her again, savoring the feeling of her surrounding him. After testing her with a few long strokes, Gale found a slow rhythm that suited him. They rose together and sunk together into her mattress as their bodies moved to the rhythm that he had created. Sweat matted his hair to his forehead. His breathing grew heavier by the second.

The blonde beneath him brought her hands up and caressed his cheek. "Do you need to take a breather?" It was as if she could read his mind. "I mean if you need as if you're getting too worked up, we can just take pause for a bit." Gale nodded and situated his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent of wildflowers. Goddamn. That was not the right thing to do in this situation, because it only served to further work him up. He groaned.

"What?"

"Do you have to smell so goddamn _good_?"

Her chuckle filled the air.

A minute or so later, her voice rang through the air. "Remember to breathe, okay?"

Gale began his slow and steady pace again. It was a lot better than he had thought it was going to be. He had always heard about sex from all of his friends, and especially down in the mines from his fellow co-workers, but it was so much more than they had ever made it seem to him. _So this is what it's like,_ he thought,_ to be inextricably tangled up in another person. To feel completely whole and to give yourself up to another._

Sooner than he had expected, he felt himself reaching his peak, but he raged against it. He wanted Madge to reach hers too, but she didn't look nearly as close as he definitely was.

Madge looked upon his face, at the way it was contorting and she knew what was happening to him. "Let go," she whispered smiling, "just let go."

The miner's strokes began deviating from his rhythm more and more as he began reached his peak and then he finished. He felt as if he were completely void of energy, as if his tank had reached empty. His body collapsed onto hers and before he could even fight it, he was drifting off into sleep.

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**I hope that wasn't too terrible. Review please.**


	8. Victors

**I am totally interested in taking prompts, so please either leave them in the reviews or better yet message me them. Any prompt is greatly appreciated, oh and songs as well. I am a sucker for songfics. So please give me some!**

**Reviews are appreciated**

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Chapter Eight

The entirety of the district was gathered in the Town Square to watch the finale of the hunger games, Gale and Madge included.

The only person missing was Madge's own sick mother, but she was one of the only people excused from the public viewing in the entire district. Gale watched as Madge calmly watched the games, beside her father. They stood beside Gale's family and the Everdeens; after all he was her "cousin," so his family was allowed the best location to watch the games.

Her face was calm. Always composed. Her blonde hair was thrown up into a high ponytail, a navy ribbon wrapped around the base of it and she was wearing a light blue dress. It hugged her torso and floated away from her body at her hips. She looked beautiful. For a moment, she stiffened under his heavy gaze, and turned to see whose eyes were boring into her. When her eyes found Gale's she shot him a small smile and winked. Gale replied with a crooked smile.

_You are just too pretty, _Gale thought.

As if the games themselves weren't enough without the addition of the muttations to worsen an already bad situation as far as Gale was concerned. The crowd had just witnessed the gruesome death by muttation that Thresh underwent. As the once strong boy, was thrown around by a pack of what looked like wild dogs.

At that moment Gale was glad that Posy was a heavy sleeper and that Vick was too enthralled in the book that Madge had given him. The peacekeepers could care less whether or not he was actually watching the games. Their job only described forcing the citizens of the district to stand in the square and witness the games. Whether a ten year old actually watched the games was none of their concern. In fact, only one had even noticed the small Seam boy reading, the rest of them were too captivated by the game's finale.

Now, the cameras were following Katniss and Peeta, as they walked toward the golden Cornucopia. Gale had a growing respect for Peeta. Even if he was unaware of his actual intentions for wanting Katniss, he was still protecting her in every way he could. However, at the time it didn't seem as if there were many ways he could protect her. The blonde merchant was walking with a pronounced limp. It hadn't been very long since he had been shivering from a fever, knocking on death's door. Now he had to trudge through the pain he knew was associated with recovery from such a painful wound and fight for his and Katniss's lives. Yes, he had earned a small bit of Gale's respect, despite Gale's best efforts to ensure that it didn't happen.

The crowd jumped collectively when the muttations jumped through the forest's heavy curtain upon the two unsuspecting citizens of district twelve.

Gale pitied Peeta as he tried running as quickly as possible with his injured appendage. It was sick. The way the Capitol tortured its young citizens made his stomach turn. This was absolutely abhorrent.

Cato was already on top of the Cornucopia when Peeta assisted Katniss to the top and vise versa. Gale watched, with a held breath, as the three wrestled. There were too many threats to take in. Obviously enough there was Cato, bloodthirsty and hell bent on becoming a Victor. It was all about pride for the Careers. But then there were the muttations, who were obviously smarter than your average dog or wolf. It looked as if they were debating and discussing their next move. It was ridiculous if you asked Gale. They had apparently made a decision and were now stacking themselves on top of each other to better reach the top of the Cornucopia. It was all too much. Couldn't they just have one threat? Did they have to have both at the same time?

And then suddenly Cato had his arm wrapped around Peeta and his forearm was pressed against the merchant's windpipe. Katniss had her bow drawn. Who would she finish off? If she killed Cato, Peeta would go down with him. If she killed Peeta, well there was nothing that was really advantageous in that situation for her. No matter how confused Gale knew she was, in their days in the arena, especially in the cave, Peeta became a very important person to her.

There was barely another moment after Peeta pointed to Cato's hand that Katniss's arrow had already hit its target. In those moments, Gale thanked Katniss for being such a good shot. It would've taken Gale at least thirty seconds to aim his arrow well enough to ensure it would have a good enough shot of hitting the target, especially one so small, but Katniss was a different story. She was amazing, and her talents never seemed to surprise him.

The crowd seemed to let out a collective breath when Cato's body hit the floor and they waited impatiently for the sound of his canon rang through the air, but it didn't. It took another hour of watching the couple from district twelve huddled together and watching the muttations tear the boy from district two limb from limb. Again, Gale thanked his lucky stars that his younger sister was still sleeping and that Vick was too entertained by the written word.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Katniss got enough sense to just take the boy out of his misery. No one deserved that fate, not even him. The canon rang through the air.

It was finally over. Finally.

Except it wasn't. There were no trumpets ringing through the air. Panem's anthem did not fill the stiff silence of the arena. Templesmith's voice didn't announce the two winners of the seventy-fourth hunger games. Instead, his voice announced a rule change, or more like a return to the original games. Gale cursed under his breath. They should have known better, the whole lot of them. They should have known better than to accept any "kindness" the Capitol was trying to bestow onto them. It wasn't in their nature. But it _was_ in their nature to be cruel and sadistic.

The entire nation watched with wide eyes as Peeta removed his bandage, allowing blood to flow freely from his wound. It would take awhile for Peeta to bleed out, but he didn't seem to care. They watched as the blonde dropped his knife, and raised an eyebrow when Katniss raised hers, but said nothing. They watched as he urged her to kill him.

Gale's respect for the merchant was growing with every second of this display. He didn't know if he would be so easy to accept his death, as Peeta seemed to be.

Katniss dropped her bow. The nation's eyes seemed to grow even wider when the brunette's hand emerged from her pocket, nightlock in hand. They were going to do it. They were going to leave the Captiol without a Victor, giving them an ultimatum. Peeta's eyes were unsure, but he took the berries and brought them to his lips anyway. Gale thought that he looked as if he would follow Katniss into the depths of hell, if she had asked him to.

His heart soared when Templesmith's voice boomed through the speakers, announcing Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen as the winner's of the seventy-fourth hunger games.

Goddamnit. They had really done it.

Posy awoke with the yelling and happy cries from the district.

"What happened?" She asked rubbing the sleep from her eyes, but she still looked groggy as ever.

"They won. Catnip and Peeta won!" He couldn't deny the excitement in his voice. He threw his small sister in the air. "They won!" The brunette embraced everyone in sight.

He felt eyes on his back as he pulled away from Prim Everdeen. His eyes scanned the crowd for eyes that were specifically trained on him, and then they found hers. For a moment, before she realized Gale was watching her, Gale thought he saw hurt flicker in her eyes, but he quickly dismissed it when he saw her smile at him. Maybe he was just seeing things. He pushed through the crowd, until he reached her. His hands found her waist and he lifted her in an embrace. He didn't even think twice that they were in public, that everyone in the district would wonder what he was doing near the mayor's daughter.

"She did it," he whispered into her hair. He felt her stiffen against him.

"_They_ did it." She corrected, a slight tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, she's coming home though!"

Madge's arms tightened around the much taller ecstatic boy when she realized this might be the last time they were ever in this position again.

Her mother's voice filled her psyche.

_Don't end up like me, Margie. Always leave before you're left and always forget before you get a chance to be forgotten._

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_**I think you guys know what comes next... Don't hate me!**  
_


	9. Water in My Lungs

**Yay for quick updates! I tell you guys reviews are my writing fuel. No jokes.**

**Reviews are always welcome.**

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Chapter Nine

Everything seemed to be falling right into place for Gale. His best friend was coming home as a Victor and he was growing closer and closer to the ever enigmatic Madge Undersee. Nothing could be better, right?

Down in the Seam, the night it had been announced that Katniss and Peeta had both won, the town had called off work for everyone to celebrate the district's win. There was going to be a huge party in the Seam, and if Gale knew Madge and her love of parties and dances, she would definitely be there.

What he hadn't expected was to find her drunk and shimmying against another guy.

From a distance his eyes watched her actions, taking in every single movement she made. If this had been two weeks ago, Gale would not have minded watching her dance with another, but now that he had known every part of her skin and kissed all of it, his jealousy was palpable.

But he had no claim to her. They had never discussed the particulars of their relationship. She wasn't his girlfriend or he her boyfriend, but still…

Gale knew the guy she was dancing with. Gus Barnett. Gale didn't know much about him, considering he was two years older than him, but he did know that he was quite the lady killer. His skin was a few shades darker than Gale's, which made his grey eyes stand out more and he was pretty charismatic. Though he didn't seem to be _talking _to Madge. The older boy's hands were wrapped around her waist, practically clutching at the grey fabric of her dress and he was smiling against the skin of her neck. Madge had a bottle of something alcoholic in her right hand and Thom's corncob pipe in the other. Every so often she would take a swig of the bottle and a drag from the pipe.

It didn't take much for Madge to realize that someone was watching her and that that someone happened to be Gale. The blonde turned around to face Gus and whispered in his ear. To whatever she whispered the older boy's eyebrows raised and he let her go. She smiled wryly and walked towards where Gale was standing at the start of the forest.

"Hey, Hawthorne. Why aren't you joining in on the festivities? I mean _Katniss_ did win."

Gale looked back at the party and then back to Madge. He didn't even know where to start. He had been too preoccupied watching her dance in jealousy to have planned out his speech. So naturally he improvised.

"What are you doing out there with him?"

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed. "Dancing?" She offered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

The miner groaned. "I _know_ that. But what are you doing out there dancing with Gus Barnett and not me?"

"He asked me to dance, so I danced."

Gale stumbled over his words. "But you're _mine,_ _not_ his." As soon as the sentence escaped his lips, he knew no matter how true he felt it was it was not the right thing to say to Madge Undersee, queen of non-committing. You _don't_ say that to someone like her, ever.

To that Madge's eyebrows rose in surprise. She'd never heard that one before, but it made her laugh anyway. "For your information, I belong to no one, Hawthorne. I belong to myself and no one else."

The miner ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Nothing was coming out right anymore. "You said you needed me," he offered weakly.

The blonde looked away.

"Look at me," he demanded more forcefully.

For a moment, her eyes ran over his face, but then they returned towards the distance.

He grabbed her face in his hands forcing it to finally face his.

"I don't need you." She stated the sentence harshly, with an intention to harm and get her point across.

Bewildered, Gale promptly dropped her face. "What?"

"I need you like I need water in my lungs, Hawthorne," she took a drag from the corncob pipe.

Gale's eyebrows were still furrowed in confusion and anger. What the fuck was happening? How was this relationship going to shit in less than a month that it started?

"Goddamnit Madge, I fucking love you. If this is how you treat the people who love you then I feel sorry for those who don't. Goddamnit! Fuck!" He screamed in frustration.

"You love me?" The blonde paused in surprise, as if she was picking and choosing her words carefully. "Love is a luxury I cannot afford Gale… I'd rather be dead than in love." She looked toward the party. "I warned you, Gale Hawthorne. I warned you for a reason." She started again. "I'm a fucking fantasy!" She threw her hands in the air. "You don't fall in love with a fantasy. I'm the in-between girl. You don't fall in love with me. I'm someone to bide time until you meet the girl of your dreams, because she's not me. I can tell you that right now."

He acted as if he had barely heard any of what she had said, but he had heard it all. "This is so fucking stupid! You're my stupid fucking dream girl! You!"

The blonde raised her head to look at him, and then turned to walk away, but before she could take her first step Gale grabbed her arm.

"Madge-"

"She looked at his hand on her arm. "Just let go, Gale. Let go."

Gale complied, but he was sure she wasn't just talking about his hand on her arm.

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**Sorry it was so short, btw.**


	10. Shake

**Sorry for how long this took. I had to move all of my stuff back to school and now I'm pretty much adjusting to my apartment and picking up odds and ends for it. If I get myself organized like I want to, I should have enough time to do everything for school and also have time for this. :) Here's to wishing! If anything there's always the weekends!**

**Thank you! Thank you! For sticking with me through the wait :)**

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Chapter Ten

He was so furious he hadn't even noticed Katniss behind him. Part of him realized that he probably should have waited for her to hunt. She was still his best friend, even if he _was_ a lovesick fool.

The woods beyond the fence used to be a place where Gale could escape with Katniss to be himself and to speak freely, but now it didn't exactly do that for him anymore. Instead, everything about it reminded him of her. He had arrived before the sun rose in an attempt to be alone for as long as possible. As he grabbed the bow from its hiding place he was reminded of her.

_"Grab your bow if you want." _

He could see her walking around if he tried hard enough with wind running through her soft blonde hair as she took his much bigger hand in hers and lead him through the darkness.

The tingling from her lips on his was constant. They had always felt unrealistically smooth to him, like what he would imagine silk to feel like, except running over his mouth and over several other body parts belonging to him. These thoughts only served to further infuriate him.

"Are you okay?" Katniss asked eyebrows furrowed.

Gale shrugged as he raised his bow, taking his time to aim at the fat and incredibly slow squirrel. Katniss was a much better shot than him, but he needed this. She didn't need anything anymore. Her family could afford the meat from the butcher now. This was just a recreational sport to her now. If he dwelled enough with the thoughts, he knew it would make him sick.

The arrow hit the slow fat squirrel in the cheek, missing the eye Gale had been aiming at.

"Fuck!" He screamed, most likely scaring off any prospective game for the rest of the day. "Did you see that stupid squirrel, Katniss?"

The brunette nodded, though her eyes were now wide with shock.

"How in God's name could I have missed that?" He ran his hand through his hair. "Goddamnit!" Facing away from her, he muttered under his breath. "That fucking woman is rotting my brain."

When his gaze returned to Katniss, he realized that he hadn't muttered low enough for Katniss not to hear, but he was thankful that she would never ask. He couldn't even imagine what her _actual_ thoughts would be. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't actually say anything about it to his face. She was silent, never offering any of her own opinions about anything. For the most part she just sat and listened to Gale rant and rave about this or that, never once offering any of her own thoughts. Back then it was all he could wish for was that she would speak to him about her own opinions, but now he was thankful that that wasn't in her nature.

Suddenly, he could taste her and the sweet cinnamon flavored black tea she seemed to always be drinking.

A growl escaped his lips and he unconsciously grabbed the first thing near him to rid him of the haunting taste. It happened to be Katniss Everdeen. At first he could feel her tense under him. He clutched tightly to her sleeves of her jacket as he kissed her. It wasn't much of a kiss, more like a crushing of lips and teeth against each other. And with the suddenness that he had kissed her, he released her.

"I had to do that. At least once." Just once, he had to try to get the taste of her off of his lips. But trying wouldn't help, as soon as his lips had touched Katniss's he realized that. Love didn't disappear with the touch of your lips to someone else's. Nor did it disappear with a declaration of indifference. If only that were the case.

Katniss stared blankly at her friend, mindlessly bringing the tips of her fingers to touch her lips.

_Oh fuck._ Gale thought watching her. _Now she thinks I'm in love with her._

"You should have warned me."

The former huntress's eyes rose to meet his, apparently shaken from her reverie. "Warned you about what?"

"Madge," he stated firmly.

Katniss crossed her arms across her chest defensively, ready to defend her friend. "What about her?"

"She- Well, we sort of had a thing going on while you were away."

The brunette jumped in surprise and/or horror at the thought of her two closest friends engaging in a relationship with each other while she was away fighting for her life.

Gale didn't really care what she thought; he just didn't want to hear it at the moment. What he really wanted to do was vent and she had always been an amazing venting recipient in the past.

"Thom introduced us the week before you were reaped. I tried not to pay much attention to her, but I just couldn't. She's just the type of girl that demands attention without saying a word. My eyes were just drawn to her. I couldn't help but look on as she danced with a few of the other girls and laughed and smiled." He looked over at his friend. "There's something about her that amazes me. She just never ceases to amaze me, but she doesn't want anything to do with me."

Katniss didn't really look like she was listening all too well. This was nothing new for him. It was the same look she had during any of his other rants and one-sided discussions except this time she had some sort of pained expression. Maybe Madge reminded her of Peeta or something.

"I don't have much in this world, Catnip. In fact, I pretty much have nothing, but Madge. Well Madge, she's something for me." By this time he was sitting on the ground, his back against a tall oak tree. "But that was a very stupid thought for me to have. Girls like Madge, they don't want guys like me in their lives. Guys who want to get married and have children. If these were the olden days, I'm sure Madge would be out of this district faster than you could say 'see you tomorrow.' There's not enough in this world for her. I'm sure as hell not enough for her." The truth in his words made him bury his head into his knees. "I just keep thinking how did we share the same experiences and yet experience them so differently. Y'know what I mean?"

The stoic brunette stared down at him, but he saw her face soften a bit. She understood well enough, that much he could tell. She might have Peeta's heart, but that didn't mean hers belonged to him.

"Thanks for listening Katniss. I know we usually keep our personal relationships to ourselves, but I- I just can't help it. I'm usually not this hung up about girls. They've always been sort of disposable to me, but I can't seem to shake her, no matter how hard I try. I guess that's what love is, right?"

The brunette seemed uneasy about Gale's confession.

"I wouldn't know," she muttered turning to face the stretch of trees off in the distance.

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**Reviews are welcome and appreciated!**

**Sorry it's so short. The next chapter will be much longer.**


	11. Regrets

**I'm going to try my hardest to update at least once a week, but you can't hold me to it! School is too much work this semester and I want to kill most of my professors for the work they're making me do. No fun.**

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Chapter Eleven

The entire workday Gale had been itching to leave work and go toward the Undersee's home, but he knew better. He knew that his family needed the money he would obtain from this particular workday, and he knew that she needed some time to herself, at least for a little bit. After that though, Gale knew that she would need him. Whether or not she was willing to admit it, she did need some of the people that were in her life and she had just lost the person she needed the most.

The day seemed to last longer than usual.

He had heard the news from Thom, who had heard it from some gossiping men at the south end of the mine. He had nudged Gale before whispering something about how Madge had found her late at night in bed, completely still and not breathing. It pained Gale to know that Madge had been the one to find her mother that way. No one needed to see that. And it was because of that that Gale knew that he had to pay her a visit, even if she didn't think she needed to see him. He knew better than to listen to her.

He wished he could be faster, but the exhaustion from the mines wore him down each and every day. He wasn't the same boy he was when he entered the mines. This newfound man was exhausted and tired of most everything.

The oak tree that he had grown accustomed to climbing when he met Madge in her bedroom was too daunting of a task on this night, so he opted for knocking on the door instead. Mabel, a woman the same age as his mother and from the Seam answered. Gale knew her to be the maid for the Undersees. She seemed surprised by his presence, which didn't surprise Gale. No one really knew of his and Madge's relationship, except for a few people from the Seam, like Thom and Bristel.

"Gale Hawthorne? What are you doing here at this time of night?" The woman looked like everyone in the Seam, dark haired and tan, except she was far more proper than most from the Seam and she dressed a whole lot better considering the Undersees often hosted events that included important people from the Capitol and other districts.

"How is Madge doing? We're friends." The word felt like poison in his mouth, but he said it anyway. How could he explain to an outsider what they were to each other when he couldn't explain it himself?

The older woman solemnly shook her head. "She's not doing very well. She wouldn't let her father anywhere near her and she hasn't eaten all day." The woman paused. "I hope you can get somewhere with her. Try and be silent though. Her father's in the guest bedroom on the third floor."

Gale nodded and ascended the stairs.

Music was coming from Madge's bedroom. It was a song played on piano that Gale didn't recognize, thought there wasn't much music that he did recognize anyway. He knocked softly before entering.

Madge sat cross-legged on the floor by the foot of her bed facing the ancient record player on a shelf, surrounded by ancient records. Her face was tear-stained, but currently at the moment there were no fresh tears on her cheeks. "Hey," she said softly, looking up at him. She moved a few of the records onto the other side of her to make room for Gale. There wasn't much of a clear path for him to make his way to Madge, but he tried his best to avoid stepping on the priceless records and books with highlighted sections.

"What is all of this?" He asked, taking her hand in his.

The blonde looked all around her. "This is the record that made my mother want me to learn piano. It's live and that makes it so much better. You can feel his passion through the keys. Listen." She turned up the knob. He wasn't good with describing music; it just wasn't him. If a song didn't have lyrics it was hard for him to make much of a song. So instead he watched Madge, watched her live and breathe through the music. Doing this, this was right up his alley.

She was beautiful. Her eyes were shut so tight, yet a few tears escaped through the closed gates. Small fists grasped at her skirt, crushing the fabric in its grasp.

In moments like these Gale knew he loved her. Seeing her like this made the aching in his chest reappear and grow. He could live without having her, though even the thought of that was enough to make his chest tighten, but seeing her like this. Seeing her in such pain was just unbearable to him. So he grabbed her and brought her onto his lap. She laid her head onto his chest and exchanged the fabric of her skirt with the fabric of his mining shirt, grasping the material as tight as possible all while sobbing uncontrollably onto his shoulder.

"She-She's gone Gale." Her head moved back so she could look into his eyes, gauge his reaction perhaps.

"I'm sorry, Madge. I'm so sorry." His hands were on her shoulders and slowly he brought them down rubbing her arms and then they were back onto her shoulders. He repeated the action, attempting to calm her. It had always worked on Posy, but Posy had never lost her mother, had never known their lost father. She'd never known grief, not the way Gale knew it and not the way Madge would come to know it.

"I tried to be a good daughter. I really did," she cried out with a trembling bottom lip. Gale nodded his head.

"You are a good daughter. She knew that. She loved you so much Madge. Everyone loves you so much."

The crying blonde laughed loudly at him. "No one loves me. I'm just fun for them. Just a good time. That's all I am. None of my friends know about me. They don't know what I'm like when I'm sad. None of them have ever seen my smile falter. I'm the fun-loving mayor's daughter. The bad girl with a golden reputation. A wolf in sheep's clothing. They don't know me so how could they ever love me?"

"Who knows you then? Someone on this godforsaken district has to know you, the real you, the one you refuse to show to the rest of the world."

Her eyes quickly shot to the left of him, avoiding his stare. "Y-You."

Gale was sure his mouth was gaping open. "W-Who? Who did you just say knows you?"

"I said you do Gale. Much to my dismay you have somehow wormed your way in and you have somewhat gotten to know me…" She paused. "Well not as well as my mother did, but you know more than anyone else…living."

As soon as the sentence escaped Madge's mouth did Gale knew another round of tears were on their way. When someone had freshly died the idea of changing who they were from the present to past was incredibly difficult. Every time you slip up and speak of them in the present the very present heartbreak comes back with a vengeance.

"Shhh" He soothed brining her back into his comforting arms. She cried about not telling her mother everything she had always meant to say. No one thinks their parents are going to die, even when they're ill like Madge's was. You always expect one more day. Just one more day and then you'll tell them how much you love them and how you appreciate all they've done for you. But that rarely comes because there's always tomorrow. Today just wasn't the right time. Procrastination at its worst. But then her cries quickly turned to never being able to learn all the great wisdom her mother had to teach. Gale also knew this feeling all too well, but he had forgiven himself of the first and had his peace with the latter. His father knew that he loved him and that he appreciated their time beyond the fence together even though Gale was young and would complain that he would rather be sleeping. His father knew that he loved the private tutoring sessions. As for the learning all that his father had to offer. Well, there wasn't enough hours in a day to learn everything that her father had to teach. His father was a fountain of knowledge that he had acquired through his 36 years of living.

When her sobs grew softer and he was sure she was growing tired he lifted her into his arms and laid her on her bed. First, he removed her blankets and tucked her small body into the bed.

The girl lying in the mahogany four-poster brought back so many memories for Gale, a lot of which he'd been trying to keep at bay. Seeing her in front of him so close made it incredibly difficult for that though. A specific memory came to mind.

Before he had gone to the mines, soon after Katniss had gone to the games Madge had accompanied Gale to a dance in the Seam. No matter what the song, Madge was pulling Gale onto the dirt dance floor, whether it was slow or fast. The dress she was wearing was tan with a turquoise lace ribbon tied at the waist. The dull color of the dress with the additional colored ribbon brought out the blue of her eyes. Halfway through a song, Madge grabbed his arm and lead him back through the woods to the fence where they had shared their first kiss, except this time she didn't shed her clothes. Instead she walked toward the far edge of the water where it was a lot deeper a lot quicker and sat down plunging her feet into the depths.

Gale hadn't moved from his spot, he had stood still by the mouth of the creek and examined her actions. Only after she had sat and established her feet in the water did she beckon him toward her with her eyes. He obliged. After removing his shoes, socks and then folding his pant legs did he sit alongside her.

Upon his arrival, Madge had tipped her head to the side and whispered, "Kiss me," a smirk on her face. Gale's face mirrored hers and he brought his lips down onto hers. He leaned into her, and held her faraway hip in his hand. From that action, a soft moan escaped her lips. He reveled in the idea that he could have that effect on her.

When she broke off the kiss, she murmured, "I like you Gale Hawthorne, I really do, but my mother warned me about boys like you." She laughed after the utterance.

It had confused Gale then and to be perfectly honest he still didn't understand it. If there was anyone who should have been warned of their relationship it should have been Gale of her. Definitely.

Immediately after tucking her in, Gale had moved to leave, but a small hand had escaped the yellow quilt and grabbed his forearm.

Gale's gaze shifted to bring the arm's owner into his sight. With a tear-stained face, Madge asked him to stay and Gale knew there wasn't a bone in his body that didn't want to do just that. So he removed his mining uniform, until he was down to his charcoal boxers and faded red shirt. He brought her body close to his and wrapped his arms around her torso. It hadn't been his intention, but now that her body was so close, her scent so intoxicating, he couldn't help but kiss the slope on her body where her shoulder met her long graceful neck.

Through the dead silence in the air, Gale could hear her whisper, "Thank you Gale" and the sentiment alone brought a smile to his face.

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**Yay some much needed Gadge time together. :) **

**Don't count on it for next chapter though, fair warning.**

**Reviews are very welcome :D**


	12. I Can Feel Your Pain

**Yay for updates! Thoughts on the progression of the story? Any suggestions for the next few chapters? Reviews are appreciated. Thanks for sticking around.**

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Chapter Twelve

Gale was returning home after a late night visit to Katniss. It was a crisp fall night. His boots crunched under the dead leaves. This was not the weather for a hunter. It was almost impossible for him to be silent with the amount of dead leaves on the ground.

His head was filled with thoughts of Madge. How it had felt to hold her the entire night, to be there for her. She hadn't kissed him, but her presence was enough. That's all he wanted. For her to let him in, and that night she had. She cried and wailed all throughout the night, but Gale didn't let her go once. He wiped her tears and listened to every story she had about her mother. Gale even shared some of his own stories about his father. They shared their painful stories. It was nice. He never felt closer to her. It was everything he could ask of her. It was pretty much all he could ask of her. Of that beautiful frustrating woman.

He had wanted to kiss her. To feel her full soft lips against his own. Maybe even feel her small hands running through his hair. In actuality he had wanted a hell of a lot more. He had been a virgin before Madge, and yet now every time she was in his presence it was as if it knew it was close to its missing piece. He wanted to feel her body flush to his. Their sweat intermingling, their chests rising and falling together. Gale wanted all of that again, but he knew better.

But then all of those thoughts went straight to hell.

After hearing noise from an alley, Gale investigated and saw her. She was pressed up against a dark brick building. It took everything in him to not just shove that disgusting Gus Barnett off of her and take her home back to her bed where she belonged, but it wasn't any of his business. Hard enough as it was to admit. After all, she wasn't his, no matter how much he felt like she was. She didn't belong to anyone. She had made sure to stress that point to him.

Her grief was causing her to act out in worse ways than she usually did. This wasn't just a flirtatious dance or some underage drinking. This was so much worse, the kind of worse that he suspected she may feel differently about her actions in the light of day.

Gus was removing her denim jacket, exposing her delicate shoulders to the cold autumn air. He noticed the peculiar way Madge was standing. Gus's arm was around her waist and he look strained as if he was trying to hold her up, while holding her close to him. At first glance, Gale hadn't made much of her half-closed eyes, figuring that she was just closing her eyes in pleasure. She had done that often when they were together. Even the hands pressed on his chest could have been confused with a lover's need to touch her partner. But, then she began shaking her head and whispering for him to stop. Gale hit the ground running.

"Get off of her!" He screamed, pulling Gus off of Madge.

The older boy was taken off guard and that gave Gale an advantage. The young man was smaller than Gale, but not by much. Another advantage Gale had was that Gus had been drinking, whereas he hadn't. His movements were delayed. At first he stumbled, letting Madge's limp body fall to the ground, but after the initial shock wore off he was on his feet ready to face Gale. The younger of the two didn't give him a chance to though. He blocked his first blow to his face and punched Gus in the stomach as hard as he could. The boy clutched his abdomen and doubled over. But that wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to just get him away from Madge he needed to be punished. Gale grabbed him by the throat and held him against the wall, similar to how he had been holding Madge.

"You don't ever talk to her again."

The inebriated man grunted.

"Do you understand?"

Again another grunt.

Gale's grasp tightened on his neck as his fist collided with Gus's face.

"Do you understand?"

This time the older man specifically said yes.

"If I ever see you around her again you will regret it. That is a promise I intend to keep." He released his throat and he fell to the ground now that Gale was no longer supporting him.

He turned and examined the girl on the ground. Madge's hair fell around her face like a halo and she was collapsed on the floor trembling. The concrete ground was cold and without her denim jacket, Madge was left in only a thin dress. Gale collected the girl in his arms and dressed her in the jacket.

She murmured his name a few times in her sleep while he carried her back to her home. It was clear that she was under the influence, even without the smell of moonshine and white liquor on her breath. Despite the situation he had found her in a part of him still could revel in knowing that she dreamt of him.

The mayor's home always seemed so daunting when Gale was standing in front of it. Every window was unlit. Perhaps the mayor was already in bed.

"Madge," he whispered attempting to wake her. Her front door was locked and he sure as hell didn't have a key.

He set her down onto the floor, but kept one arm around her so she wouldn't fall. Her eyes were fluttering open.

"G-Gale?" She asked when they were finally open and her small hands on Gale's shoulders in attempt to balance herself.

He looked her right in the eyes. "Do you know what happened tonight?"

Her face dropped at the reminder and her eyes went south. "I-I know what happened, but you can't tell anyone Gale." Her eyes were dead serious.

"What? You expect me to let that creep walk the streets?"

The small girl grabbed his face in her hands. "Yesss pleaseee. Daddy can't know I was out there drunk. It'll make him look bad…" The girl paused trying to think of another reason that would convince Gale. "He wass drunk too. He didn't know what he was doing."

Madge felt his fists tighten around the fabric of her jacket. "When I've been drinking I never took advantage of you."

"Pleasee Gale we're already the talk of town because of my mom. We don't need this too. 'Drunk mayor's daughter gets what's coming to her.'"

"This is not your fault Madge. You're allowed to get as drunk as you want. That doesn't give anyone the right to treat you like their personal plaything." He paused seeing the look on her face. Her eyes were watering and her mouth was in a tight line. "Goddamnit Madge… I won't say anything if that's what you really want."

The blonde nodded. "Thank you. I won't forget this."

"Do you have your keys?" He asked. His hand was on her hip and he could feel the warmth of her skin. "Are you going to be okay tonight?"

Madge stopped and tipped her head, considering the question.

"If I asked you to stay with me, would you- could you hold me like-like you did last night? You don't have to do it all night, but could you at least do it until I have to sleep."

"Madge, you don't even have to ask me that. Don't you realize that?"

The blonde stopped breathing. He was moments away from re-declaring his love for her, but he stopped himself. Tonight was not the night for that. She needed to feel comfortable with him and he knew that she was not one for declarations of love.

"I'm so sorry Gale."

"For what?" He asked, grabbing the key from her hand to unlock the door they had been standing in front of for quite some time.

"I-I stole your heart away and-and I don't know how to care for it."

Her bottom lip was beginning to tremble. He could see the guilt weighing on her shoulders. "Honestly, I'd rather it be in your hands than anyone else's."

"I'm-I'm a bad person, and I know that. I can't do this Gale." There was a candle lit in the hallway lighting Madge's face slightly. The shadows amplified her facial features, making her frown look even more dismal. "I want to love you sooooo much." The liquor was causing her to draw out some of her words. Any other time and Gale would have found the action endearing, but now when she was telling him that she couldn't-wouldn't love him it seemed anything but endearing. "If I were any other person it wouldn't be in the question. M-my mom-" A sob escaped her lips. "My mom was cheated on her entire life by my father, the man she loved… Hearts are fragile and my mother's entire life was a testament to that. It was the worst kind of truth. Love just isn't enough." The slurring of her speech didn't make the words she spoke any less serious. Although he had already suspected the reasons behind her distrustful nature and obvious abhorrence of love, the words she spoke cut deep. She wouldn't be able to love him any time soon. So he was sentenced to the waiting game. He didn't want to move on. There was no moving on for him. She was everything to him. Everything he wanted. Any other relationship would be a sham and incredibly unfair to the other person.

He doesn't say what he's thinking this time. He doesn't tell her that he doesn't have days or months to waste waiting for her. He has _years_ to spend. Any amount of time would be fine, though the sooner the better if he was perfectly honest with himself. Even he wasn't _that_ patient.

"C'mon," he started, guiding her with a hand on her elbow. He made sure to keep a steady eye on her just in case her balance gave out. She wasn't very steady on her feet. "Let's get you to bed."

When they finally reached her bedroom, the blonde threw open the door, shrugging off her jacket in the process. The action almost caused her to fall right on her face, but Gale's arms wrapped around her middle just before her face met the wooden ground. He brought her back up to her feet. "Do you want me to help you?"

She nodded, her head facing the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry you have to do this. I'm so ashamed."

"Don't be ashamed. You've been going through a lot lately. Rory's had to lead me quietly to bed before. It happens to everyone."

She stood before him. Her back to his front, while he kept an arm around her waist. "Uhm." He stopped; he could hardly concentrate with her proximity. They were in the privacy of her bedroom now and having her this close to him felt incredibly more intimate than it had felt when he was carrying her through the streets. "W-Where are your nightclothes?" His voice kept catching in his throat. Her smell was intoxicating. It was sweet and floral, but there was something else. Something a tad spice-like.

She pointed to the dresser in the far right corner. "Second drawer from the bottom. Yellow."

"Are you going to be okay if I let you go?" He didn't want to let her go if she was just going to fall to the floor. He'd just sit her on the bed. She'd already fallen once that night and that was one time too many as far as Gale was concerned. She nodded, and he was still hesitant to let her go. He slowly let her go and watched her as he made his way toward the dresser. Her wavering made him incredibly nervous, as if she was likely to fall at any moment. Inside the second drawer of her dresser were Madge's nightclothes and underclothes in general. He blushed at the sight even though he'd seen her in much less. He spotted the yellow nightgown she was talking about and draped it over his shoulder so he could return to her wavering form.

He stood behind her, placing his hand back around her waist to ensure she stay upright. His hands sought out the back zipper of her dress, but found nothing. "It's on the side," she whispered and Gale could've sworn she was just as affected by his proximity as he was with hers. Now his hands were searched for the side zipper and brought it down to the edge of her left hip. Her skin was cool to the touch as he brought the straps of her dress down along with the rest of it until it pooled at her feet. Her underclothes were mismatched, a lace crimson brassiere and charcoal colored panties covering her round backside.

"Raise your arms." The blonde did as she was told and his eyes followed the smooth lines of her thin arms. He brought the yellow nightgown down her arms, making sure to skim her body along the way. She shivered at his touch, or maybe it was just the cool air coming in through her window. He smoothed the fabric down the length of her body, feeling the curves of her form. That small waist and wide hips.

Gale kept his hand on the curve of her waist as he walked her forward toward her bed, sitting her down on it as he moved to remove his clothing. He kept his eyes downcast, but he knew that she was watching him. If his eyes met hers then he would surely have no control over the love that consumed him. Maybe then he could convince her that she was to be his and he was supposed to be hers. But alas he did not meet her gaze. Instead he finished removing his clothes and walked toward her seated figure, guiding her to lay on the right side of the bed. He laid beside her and brought the sheets to her chin before lying beside her.

"Maybe all I really need is time, Hawthorne," she murmured before turning away from him. Her hand sought out his and she grabbed it, bringing it around her. Gale's body followed.

"Goodnight, Madge," he whispered into the crook of her neck.

"Goodnight, Gale," she whispered back, threading her much smaller fingers through his large calloused ones. "I don't deserve you." That's what he thought he heard her say, but it was too quiet to know for sure.

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**Until next time!**


	13. Deconstruct

**Thanks for reading! Just a short little filler before the story really starts to pick up, sorry about that. :D I'm very excited. You will stop hating me next chapter, for a bit. I promise. **

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Chapter Thirteen

For the most part Madge made Gale want to tear his hair out. She was dead set on putting a complete moratorium on their relationship, if you could even call it that. Gale would call it that, but that's because he was really trying hard to have a relationship with a girl that was adamantly against it.

But then they shared those quiet moments together and Gale knew exactly what he was fighting for and that it was definitely worth every hair-tearing moment he experienced. When he woke up, the sun had yet to rise. His arm reached out to wrap itself around Madge, but all it found was empty space. He turned to see her, the moonlight casting a dim light on her pale melancholy face. Her knees were pulled to her chest and her thin arms wrapped tightly around them. She wasn't wearing her usual clothing. A thick loose-fitting sweater covered her small torso. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a messy braid. She was beautiful. That fact was completely indisputable.

"What are you doing up?" He asked, untangling himself from the blankets.

The blonde turned to examine him. "I couldn't sleep."

His fists clenched at his sides. If this was because of what Gus did to her than he would give him another talking to and most likely his fists would be doing the talking. She had way too much to deal with to add that sick sad excuse for a man. Who forces themselves on small inebriated girls? The thought sickened him.

"Are you okay?" He asked walking toward the armchair situated facing the window that she was seated in.

She took a deep breath before answering. "I'm-Can we talk?"

The question made Gale need to take a deep breath. "Aren't we already doing that?" He gave her a small smile, which she returned.

"I don't want to waste your time anymore, Gale."

Gale felt like a weight was being lifted off his shoulders; finally she was going to give them a chance. This was what he had been waiting for.

"I think it would be best if we should just cut our losses before we dwell on our fleeting romance more than what's good for either of us. You deserve a hell of a lot better than me. Even at my best, I'm not half the person you are Gale. You've wasted so much of your time on me. On someone who will never be able to love you the way you need to be loved. I just can't love you. I can't love anyone."

A growl left Gale's lift and forced Madge to make eye contact with him. "I really think I should be the one who decides who is or is not good enough for me to love, don't you think?" Madge nodded silently, Gale hardly ever got cross with her and even when he did it was never like this. "Goddamnit Madge! Right after your mother passed you told me that I'm the only one who knows you in this Godforsaken district, but that doesn't matter does it? You say these things that make me think that you're finally getting the idea, but then you take them back like they meant nothing to you, like I mean nothing to you."

"It's sick. I'm sick, Gale. You know me the best out of anyone I know and you don't even know me. You barely know me."

"What don't I know about you? What's so goddamn important that I don't know. Your shoe size?"

She was standing by now, her back to the window. "What's my full name? You should know a person's name, shouldn't you?"

Gale couldn't contradict that. You should know the names of those close to you, even if it was sort of a trivial thing. Knowing a person's middle name didn't mean you knew anything about what they were thinking, about the dark deep parts of their very beings. "Margaret Maysilee Undersee."

She laughed. Right in his face.

"What?" He asked, his face red in anger.

"My name isn't Margaret."

"Then what is it?" Madge was a nickname for Margaret, right? Surely her real name wasn't actually Madge.

"It's Madeline. You don't even know my name, how can you say that you know me? That's the most basic thing you should know about a person, Gale."

"What's it going to take to prove to you that I want to be with you for the rest of my life? What do I have to do to get it through that thick skull of yours that I'm not going anywhere, nor am I going to stray when a pretty thing in a skirt crosses my path? Huh, Madge? Answer that for me, please because if this is some sort of test stage than I guess I'll just stick it out until the end anyway, because that was my plan in the first place. I'd just like to know."

Madge let out a sigh. "You think I don't appreciate you." A pregnant pause filled the air. "I couldn't sleep last night and the-the way you held me throughout the night. It makes me realize that I could love you if I knew how, but I don't and I don't want you to waste your time waiting for me. Waiting for some stupid damaged girl to love you back when you could be giving that love to someone who's ready for you, who deserves it. I don't. I've done nothing but hurt you and don't tell me otherwise I know-I know that I've hurt you that I frustrate you more than you ever thought possible."

He stepped toward her cautiously. "Then you should know that you make me happier than I ever thought possible too. You're so beautiful, and I'm not talking just about that gorgeous face and elegant body. I can't explain it, but I'm completely drawn to you. It's like there's this invisible tether tied between us. Do you feel it too?" He knew he was taking a risk asking her about her feelings for him, but he couldn't help it; he wanted to know.

"I need time." He let out a dejected sigh. The small blonde took a hold of his arm. "I just don't know how to feel. I'm not prepared for this."

A ghost of a smile formed on his face. "I don't think you're supposed to."

"You hate me." She stated as a matter of fact.

This time a choked laugh escaped his mouth. "If you really think that Madge then you really haven't been listening." He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just disappointed, but you can take all the time you need. I'll be waiting. I've got nothing but time for you _Madeline _Maysilee Undersee." Now he finally realized his state of dress, he couldn't figure out how she was taking him serious when he was arguing in nothing but his boxers. He laughed at how preposterous it all was. If someone had told him that he was going to be waiting for all of eternity for a townie to come around he would've probably punched them in the face.

"I've got to get ready for work."

Madge nodded, never taking her eyes off of his figure moving to dress himself as he pulled his work pants over his slim hips and raised his eyebrows at the blonde who refused to take her eyes off of him.

Her eyes flickered upwards to make contact with his. "You have nice legs."

He laughed. "What?" That wasn't the usual compliment Gale received. Usually girls fawned all over his muscular arms and chest or his tan skin and slate grey eyes, even his height, but never his damn legs.

"Your legs. They look really strong. I like that."

"Thanks?"

She smiled, her pearly white teeth shining.

"Well, I should get going." He gestured toward the door.

"Oh." She stopped. "Yeah. Have a good day at work." He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before walking out the door.

She smiled, turning back toward the window so she could see him on his way out. She felt like a wife, watching her husband go off to work, for the first time in her life the idea sat well with her.

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**Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated. **

**As for the Madeline thing, we don't _actually_ know for sure her name is Margaret and I wanted to have a bit of fun with it. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Realizations

**Very long chapter then what I'm used to writing. This is when the story is definitely picking up. Some of my favorite parts are coming up. Very excited. Thank you for sticking around and reading. Reviews are very helpful and make me incredibly happy!**

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Chapter Fourteen

Weeks had passed since the morning after Gale had found her in the alley and saved her from not only Gus, but also more importantly herself. She didn't want to play games with him anymore. If she couldn't figure out what she wanted from Gale then she wouldn't be with him. He deserved better than her no matter what he said. He didn't need someone who was so wishy-washy and couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to be with him. Gale needed someone who knew he was the one and would do anything for him. At this time in her life, she just wasn't that person.

Her father stepped into the house, eyes on the floor, as if he was avoiding her gaze. "What happened?" She asked confused. Her mother was already dead. It wasn't as if there was anything else that could happen to affect her, really affect her anyway.

"Nothing Maggie. Just forget I was acting strange, okay?" He pressed a kiss to her forehead before beginning to walk away.

"Tell me, Dad." She had this bad feeling as soon as she saw the look on his face.

"It's just there's a new head peacekeeper and he's a lot stricter than we're used to around here. It just has me a tad worried. Nothing that you should be concerned of." The way he avoided her eyes as he said the last sentence convinced Madge that it was something that she should definitely be concerned about.

"What is it? There's something you're not telling me. I know it. Tell me."

"It's just… Your friend, Gale, he was caught with an animal from beyond the fence and he was punished in the square." Her father's voice was sad and quiet, as if it would hurt less for Madge to hear the news if it were whispered. It didn't. As soon as the severity of the situation dawned on her she was running upstairs, past her own room into her parent's room, searching high and low for the vials of morphling her mother had left behind. She knew what pain looked like and the images she was seeing behind her eyelids physically pained her. The memories of her mother's life of suffering were fresh in her mind. Eyes always shut tight, as if that would lessen the pain. Her pain-stricken screams echoing through the house, if Madge listened hard enough sometimes she could swear she still heard them. Sweat on her mother's brow, matted hair. Her mother had been a beautiful woman before. Her illness robbed her completely of her beauty, to become a small, fragile, woman, who constantly looked like she was on the brink of falling apart, as if the bones that made up her body just wouldn't hold up any longer. It was hard enough seeing one person you loved in agony, but to imagine Gale, not to mention see him. Someone whose pain could have been avoided, whose pain was inflicted upon him as "justice." To imagine the strong man, who had carried her throughout the streets of District Twelve to be brought to his knees by the head Peacekeeper's whip… The thought made her stomach lurch forward.

As soon as she located the vials she was out the door, throwing on her sturdiest boots and layering her thickest coats. There was one hell of a snowstorm happening outside her window.

She ran as fast as she could. Each time she fell she picked herself back up, never stopping to take a break. Gale needed the medication and the pain that this blistering cold was causing her was a hell of a lot less painful than what he was going through. That much she knew and that knowledge was enough to continue propelling her forward. One step forward. Two steps forward. It wasn't that far. It wasn't like she was walking all the way to the Hawthorne's. Now that would be far.

She didn't know how long it took before her surroundings grew familiar, but the feeling in her fingers and toes was starting to go by that time. She fell forward again, except this time the snow didn't completely break her fall. Her face caught on something hard and when she looked to see what she'd hit herself on she saw that the blood surrounding the rock was crimson. Under any other circumstances she would have reached toward her own face to figure out which part of her face was injured, but it didn't matter at this point. Not only could she not feel her fingers to feel what part of her face was injured, but her face was also numbed by the wind. Her face was the last thing on her mind to top it off. Gale was somewhere around here, suffering and the key to stop that suffering was in her coat pocket. With a renewed vigor she picked herself up from the ground, yet again and raced forward. Victor's Village hadn't seemed that far during the summertime, but now with the cold air burning her lungs she rethought her previous thoughts.

She knocked as loud and fast as she could. The only way she knew that she was hitting the wooden door was by the sound her frozen hand created against it.

Thom answered the door, completely taken aback by the small merchant in the doorway, who had already forgotten that her face was dripping with blood. That fact was not lost on Thom, nor anyone else in the Everdeen's.

Without hesitation, she reached into her coat and pulled the tiny vials out. With arms outstretched she offered the vials. "Use these."

She turned to run back out into the cold. Maybe if got back quick enough she could still get back all the feeling in her extremities, but she felt arms pulling her inside. "You're not going anywhere, Wildflower. You'll wait out the storm here with the rest of us."

"Wildflower?" She heard a ragged voice whisper. It was Gale. She looked away, turning to run back outside.

"Let me go," she whispered threateningly. Maybe if she was quick enough she could get away. She couldn't see him like this. It would tear her apart, just like it had when she was forced to bear witness to her mother's deteriorating mind and body.

"Madge!" The voice was louder this time, but not any less ragged. The pain, screaming caused was evident in his voice. She heard a voice, "Shh" Gale, probably his mother or Mrs. Everdeen.

She escaped the confines of Thom's arms, but she didn't run out the door as he had expected. Instead her legs carried her towards the body lying on the Everdeen's wooden kitchen table. Her eyes avoided his back and focused in on his face. If she saw what they had done to him, she would be of no help to Gale. She'd break down and right now Gale needed her to be strong for him.

"I'm here Gale. I'm right here," she whispered grabbing his limp hand and pressing a kiss to the palm. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she didn't take any notice.

A small sleepy smile formed on his face. Mrs. Everdeen had just finished administering the morphling. He was going to get a little incoherent before he fell right to sleep. Assuming, Mrs. Everdeen gave him the same dosage she gave her mother.

"Madge, I'm sooo sorrrrry." The medication was taking its beginning effects.

"For what?" She asked incredulous. What did he have to say sorry about? If anyone should be saying sorry it should be her.

"I wasn't very good our first time." Her eyes shot open and she could feel heat warming up her previously numb face. _Why hasn't he passed out yet? _She thought. She was too shocked to say anything, and so he continued. "I finished and you didn't. You probably haaaaaaaate me." Madge was shushing him, but he wouldn't listen to her. He just kept going. She just couldn't get him to stop. She even mentioned that his mother was in the room, but he just didn't hear it. "Next time, if you ever let there be a next time, I'll finish you off doll. I promise. Please let there be a next time. You're so beautiful. Remind me to tell you this if I survive this. You Madeline Undersee are the most beauuuutiful woman in the world and one day I'm going to…" Finally and definitely not soon enough the morphling was staring to kick in. "Finishhhhhh… you… off," and then he was fast asleep.

It took a few minutes before she was brave enough to show her face to everyone who had witnessed Gale spill his guts out.

Knowing Thom the best, she searched his legs out first lifting her eyes to gauge what his would say back to hers. He was all smiles. "Wildflower I am completely speechless. That," he pointed towards Gale's sleeping form, "has rendered me speechless." Peeta and Haymitch's reactions were similar; both were smirking as if they were going to use this against Gale in the future. Katniss on the other hand, had avoided Madge's gaze for quite awhile, but eventually gave her an embarrassed smile in return. Mrs. Everdeen gave her a soft smile, though her eyes were focused on Madge's face for longer than she was accustomed to.

She continued avoiding Hazelle's gaze. She'd had dinner at the woman's house for God's sake. Read to her daughter. Played games with Vick. Shot the shit with Rory. And now she knew that she had taken her eldest son's virginity and that he was planning on having sex with her in the future when he was recovered.

Her eyes focused in on his limp hand in hers. Her hand was still gloved. If she kept looking down at their hands no one would expect her to look at any of them or talk to them.

"Madge? Hon?" She felt a body sitting next to her. "You should take off your coat. Wouldn't want you to get sick." She felt gentle hands, though well-worked, remove her coat, hat and gloves, a towel soaking up the melted snow from her hair as well. She finally looked up to thank the individual to look into the eyes of Gale, well not really. They belonged to the Hazelle, but they were the same eyes. A warm taupe in this light, equal parts brown and grey. In other lights she knew them to appear more slate grey. Always evolving with the situation, just like her son.

Hazelle smiled, placing her hand over their clasped ones. "Madge, you don't have to be afraid of me."

Madge swallowed, but gave a small smile. "I think I do. After what you heard, definitely so." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I've never been so embarrassed in my life."

The warm woman laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Madge, I sleep in the same house as my son and the walls in the Seam are not very thick. If you two weren't actually getting intimate with each other, then I'd at least know that he was dreaming about it for quite some time."

Madge definitely had the decency to blush and blush heavily she did.

"What happened to you here, dear?" Hazelle ran her hand down the center of her forehead just stopping short of the space between her eyebrows, where Madge assumed her injury to be since it was the place where her face was throbbing. Madge shook the woman off. "Nothing, I'll be fine. Just a cut."

"You should get Althea to look over that cut for you, dear. It looks to be quite deep." She had been so preoccupied with Gale that she hadn't even had the time to remember why her face was aching. She brought her hands up toward her face, but Hazelle stopped her. "Don't. Just let Althea see it first." Gale's mother placed her hands on her back and pushed, in a sad attempt to bring Madge to her feet to take to the healing woman that was Althea Everdeen, but she didn't budge.

"No," she looked up into his mother's eyes, worried all over her face. "He needs me here. I can't leave him."

Hazelle's eyebrows furrowed. "He's not going anywhere, dear. He's in the best care the district has to offer. Let's just get you cleaned up, and then you can come right back, I promise. You won't be more than a few feet away from him. Don't worry he won't be alone either. Katniss and Thom are here to watch him while you're away."

Slowly and reluctantly, Madge let go of Gale's hand and walked toward the two women, who lead her out of the kitchen and into a bathroom.

"Your clothes are all wet, sweetie," Mrs. Everdeen said. "Hazelle's going to go get you some of Katniss's clothes to change into while I fix this cut, is that okay?"

Madge nodded.

With gentle hands Mrs. Everdeen removed the dirt from her face with a warm damp cloth. Despite the fact that the action should have been calming her, it was only doing the opposite. She couldn't stop her knee from bouncing. Mrs. Everdeen needed to hurry up so she could return to her rightful place by Gale's side, but the woman wouldn't. She was slow and gentle, trying her best not to hurt the frozen young woman, but Madge could care less. She'd have her harshly clean the wound and slap a band-aid on her head if it meant being able to get back to Gale faster.

Hazelle returned with a pile of clothes in her arms. Wordlessly she handed them over to Madge, who was impatiently waiting for Mrs. Everdeen to finish cleaning the wound. Gale's mother reassuringly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Stop worrying, he'll be there when you get back. He's going to get through this, hon and you're to thank." Tears were brimming the woman's eyes. "I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for you Madge. I couldn't stand seeing him like that when I got here. He was in so much pain, I was praying for him to just pass out and when he did I thanked God. You came in the nick of time. He was starting to wake up again. Thankfully, you were here to save him some of the pain. Thank you so much Madge. I'm just so thankful that Gale has you."

_But he doesn't have me._ She thought. She was just some selfish stupid girl who couldn't accept what was in front of her, but she was trying. They just weren't raised the same. Gale knew the goodness that came from love. He saw it firsthand with his parents before his father passed. Madge, on the other hand, saw the worst that could come from love. A sick, sad woman scorned by the man who she loved, who she still loved despite his many many mistakes. Her mother had always told her not to fall for men's tricks. To be watchful for them. They didn't have your best interests in mind. They all wanted one thing and they would do anything to get it. So her mother taught her how to live like so many men did. To tease and play. Have all the power in a relationship. Never be left and always forget them before they forgot about you. Prior to Gale, these were the tenants she lived by. Now, she wasn't so sure. The last thing she wanted was to forget about Gale. In fact, she knew it was impossible. She'd tried just as much as he had.

She just couldn't deny her feelings any longer. She loved Gale Hawthorne with everything that she had. Maybe she didn't know that before, but seeing him like this, almost losing him, gave her the wakeup call she definitely needed. Gale meant everything to her. A million times more than all the other boys she'd known multiplied together. She'd never fought to stay by any of their sides before, but today she found herself fighting for Gale and she wasn't even doing anything. The thought of him waking up and not seeing her by his side made her heart ache. He had to know how she felt, even if she was unable to actually voice the sentiments aloud, but she wanted to. Oh God how she wanted to tell him now that she knew.

"Madge? Dear?" A voice extracted her from her thoughts. "Are you okay? We've been calling your name?"

She nodded. "Oh, sorry I was just thinking." Madge brought her hand up to touch her wound and instead she felt the bandaged area. "Thank you, Mrs. Everdeen. I didn't bring any money with me, but I'll come back to pay you."

The ex-merchant shook her head. "No, Madge, that's really unnecessary. You brought Gale the morphling, that's more than enough payment. Really."

But Madge insisted further, "No, don't waste your supplies on me. I'll pay you, so you can replace the supplies you wasted on me. I won't take no for an answer, Mrs. Everdeen."

Mrs. Everdeen shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Gale is very lucky to have you," and with that she left the bathroom to replace the bandages on his back, leaving Madge and Hazelle.

"Here, be careful putting on your shirt though. Wouldn't want you to open up that wound. What happened, dear? Did any peacekeepers cause you any trouble on your way here?"

Madge removed her soaked pants, along with the thermal pants she had worn underneath. "No, nothing like that. I didn't see another living soul on my way here, actually. It was just a hard journey here. Walking was hard and the wind was very harsh. I'm not that big, so I was kind of like a kite out there." A quiet laugh escaped her lips. She reached for the long-sleeved shirt Hazelle gave to her and carefully pulled it over her head. "I would've come sooner-" She hadn't even finished the sentence before Hazelle was shushing her.

"I won't here any of that. You did me a service by coming here, one that I won't forget _Madeline." _The older woman smiled as she spoke the name. Madge must have looked surprised because she explained. "He told me. He tells me all about you."

"What exactly does he tell you about me?"

The woman looked up thoughtfully. "Well, he tells me about how caring you are. About how you gave Vick all those books. Thank you by the way. He tells me how you make him laugh, which can be hard to do with my son. He's more on the serious side. He tells me how much he loves you. He tells me that a lot. I know he's my son, so naturally I think he's the best thing in the world, but I sincerely believe that his feelings for you are true. He'd do anything for you if you asked it of him. I just want to put a good word in for him. He's a good boy and he looks at you the same way that his father looked at me." She paused, tipping her head in emphasis. "And let me tell you something, my dear. You look at him the same way that I looked at my husband as well. So maybe you don't know what you're feeling yet, but I can see it." The next sentence she whispered, "Actually, I think everyone can see it too."

Madge looked down uncomfortably. It was one thing dealing with her own emotions, but knowing that everyone else apparently had their own peephole into her deepest emotions didn't settle well with her. She sighed outwardly, there wasn't anything she could do about it anyway.

She returned to the kitchen, reclaiming her rightful place by Gale's side. Just on cue, she could see him squinting, blindly reaching out to grab her hand. Madge grabbed onto his, linking her fingers with his. He murmured her name. After a few minutes, he stopped stirring and went back to sleep. She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his unmoving ones. First, she placed a kiss on his lips and afterwards, she whispered against them, "I love you," the words that he would definitely be ecstatic to hear if he were awake. The words were whispered low enough that no one could hear, other than her and Gale if he had been conscious. She felt a squeeze coming from their linked hands, and she jumped back, looking for any signs that he had awoken. His eyes stayed shut. His body still. She let out a sigh of relief and looked away, towards the other faces surrounding her, though they meant a whole lot less to her than the one whose hand she was holding. Yes, she cared for all of them, cared for everyone in a basic human way, but the injured man in front of her. Well, he took the cake.

When she turned back, looking over Gale's face there was a smile on his sleeping face. He looked so beautiful, so carefree and young in his sleep. She pushed his hair back, her fingers dwelling on his face. She caressed his face, running her hands down the sides of his visage, until she reached the sharp lines of his jaw line. She'd always loved all the different angles that made up his face, some more angular than others. In the soft angles, she could see Hazelle. She wondered how much Gale was like his father, she'd have to ask Hazelle one day.

_He looks at you the same way that his father looked at me._

If his mother was speaking the truth then she knew that she was in for a lifetime of love because even in death it was evident the hold that man had on Hazelle.

She could only be so lucky.

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**Tons of thanks!**


	15. Waking

**A little shorter than the last chapter, but it's a little filler(ish) too. Things will pick up next chapter. I promise.**

**Pretty quick turn around thanks to an anon on tumblr. Ask and you shall receive, sometimes at least.**

**Thanks for reading! Love to all!**

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Chapter Fifteen

Everyone surrounding her had fallen asleep in their respective seats, or at least those who hadn't retreated to one of the guest bedrooms upstairs to sleep, all except Madge. How could she sleep while Gale was in this condition, writhing in pain as he slept? Sleep wouldn't come to her even if she begged for it.

Her eyes moved toward the marred skin on his back, examining where the wounds would heal into scars, forever a part of him. She could remember how smooth it had felt underneath her fingertips when they had made love, her nails gripping into his flesh. The way he shuddered when she ran her fingertips down the length of his spine. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. He'd always carry these scars, and if she knew Gale he'd never be able to let this go. She'd help him heal in any way she could. Would he let her see his back when they got intimate? Caress it? Obviously she wouldn't dig her fingers into the skin after what had happened to him, never again, but would he at least let her touch it? Or would he keep that from her now?

She could only imagine how painful it was for him. Every so often she could see his body tense in pain. The sight never failed to bring tears to her eyes. She worried that he would wake up, the more he slept the better, though she knew he'd have to return to the mines, wouldn't be able to take the full amount of time off that he really needed, wouldn't take any of Katniss's money in order to do so. So stubborn.

The hand she held in both of hers lay limp, but she hadn't let it go, wouldn't let it go until someone forced her out of the Everdeen household and back to the lonely mansion she called home.

"Wildflower?" She heard a gruff voice ask. First, she looked to where Thom had been sleeping, but his body lay still. "Madge?" Again. She turned back around. It was Gale who had speaking all along. She'd never heard him call her Wildflower except last night when he was in a pain-filled delirium.

"You should be resting Gale, please go back to bed for me." His hand was holding hers in return now; he squeezed her hand. He gave her a small smile.

"I could say the same to you." She shook her head in response.

"I can't and frankly I don't really want to."

"Why?" He asked, his voice still laced with the sleep that he should be getting, he brought her hand up to his lips, pressing it against them lightly. "You," a yawn escaped his lips, "You need sleep too."

"Not as much as you do."

He smiled a little wider than before "You can't stay up until I'm completely healed, you know that right?" She was going to respond with a smart ass remark, but his eyes turned serious. "I need to thank you for yesterday."

"You don't need to thank me for that. You would've done the same if not more if it had been me in that situation."

The smile fell off his face and his eyes focused on hers, the conversation taking a turn on a more serious route. "I'm not talking about that, Madge. That's what we do. We help each other. I don't ever expect 'thank yous' from you. I don't even want them. That's not what love's about. I help you because I love you and you help me because you love me too, right?" His eyes weren't desperate like all the other times he bared his soul for her to see. His eyes weren't pleading for her to recognize and accept his sentiments. They weren't pleading because he wanted her to return the feelings he had for her. He didn't need her reassurance because he already knew.

"You heard me."

He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "I want to thank you for finally having the courage to tell me. I know how hard it is for you, to be that vulnerable. To let me see you, even if I was only semi-conscious at the time."

She didn't have anything to say. He'd said everything already and there was no more hiding, not that she would really be able to do that anyway. She'd always been pretty transparent to Gale, or at least that's how she felt around him.

"Say it."

Asking what he wanted her to say would only be insulting him. She knew what he wanted and the demand brought a smile to her face.

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you, Gale Hawthorne."

He was grinning now, bringing her down toward him to kiss him, their faces both semi-pressed against the hard wood of the Everdeen's kitchen table, but neither participant noticed. The electricity running between them was all they could pay attention to. Gale was the first to pull away, a smile on his face, but his eyes were tired. Madge could tell that much.

"God, I could hear that for the rest of my life and never tire of it."

"Well I'm glad." She paused, reaching for his hand again. "I've missed you."

She felt a squeeze from Gale's hand. "I missed you too, Wildflower."

She brushed the hair from his eyes. "You should really go back to bed, Gale. Please, for me?"

Gale's eyes caught hers. "I'd do anything for you."

Madge watched as his eyes grew heavier as the seconds passed until they finally stayed shut.

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When Madge awoke, all she could hear were muffled voices in the distance. She wasn't by Gale's side anymore. Instead, she appeared to be in a guest bedroom in the Everdeen household. Her shoes were taken off and she was tucked in, and she was still wearing Katniss's clothing from last night. Quickly, she removed herself from the tangle of blankets and put her shoes on, running down the stairs to be greeted by several sets of eyes all on her, except Gale whose eyes were set on the floor beneath him. He was still lying on the kitchen table.

Was he mad that she wasn't at his side? That hadn't been her choice. Someone had taken her from him and brought her upstairs when she must have dozed off.

She approached slowly, greeting everyone as she walked past.

Thom's gaze grabbed hers and she walked toward him. "Hello Thomas."

"Wildflower," he responded. "I would like you to know that Gale here has something he wants to tell you now that he's survived and I've reminded him."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Thom's eyebrows raised in response. "Wow Madge. Really? With the way your face turned beet red I didn't think you'd ever forget what Romeo told you last night."

Madge's eyes widened and she looked around toward the other faces surrounding her. They all seemed as amused as Thom, even Katniss.

"Just shut up, okay Thom? We get it. Everyone was here, they all saw." His gaze still hadn't left the floor.

Thom smirked at the obviously angry and still very much injured boy lying on the table in front of him. "Except you. You weren't here, Gale, not in body at least."

"Shut up Thom," Madge said firmly. "I know a lot more embarrassing things about you then what Gale said last night."

Thom's face contorted before turning bright red, which was a considerable feat since he was so tan. "You promised."

The blonde grinned mischievously, "And if you don't leave Gale and me alone I might have to go back on my promise."

The mocking miner turned toward Gale, a bitter expression on his face. "Your girlfriend is evil."

Gale looked up, a smile brightening his entire face. He reached out to grab her hand. Madge met his halfway. He gestured for her to lean down towards him.

"Don't worry about Thom. He won't tease you anymo-"

She was cut off by Gale's lips being pressed to hers. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever-will ever meet. I love you so much. You're all I could ever want. All I will ever want."

Madge was tearing up at this point, but she didn't care if they were all watching. They probably all were watching anyway. "I love you too. You're it for me, Gale, and I've known that since that night in the Seam. You grabbed my attention like no one ever has. You mean so much to me and I don't know why I was wasting so much time trying to pretend like you don't. You're completely irreplaceable to me, Gale. I need you."

Gale kissed her again, his lips lingering against hers. "I love you so much, Madeline Undersee." The words were whispered so quietly that Madge was sure she was the only one who had heard them in the room.

Not that it mattered. No matter where it was said, or who was in the room, their shared declarations of love were just for each other.

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**Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Time

**It's a little short but I wanted to get it out there.**

**Reviews are loved and appreciated. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the upcoming events of this chapter.**

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Chapter Sixteen

Madge looked down at hers and Gale's linked hands, his tanned skin bringing out the paleness of hers. This was all the physical affection she was getting from Gale lately, except for the occasional goodbye kiss that was chaste anyway. It wasn't as if she was planning on banking in on him 'finishing her off,' but it wasn't as if she didn't need some semblance of affection.

Things were different now. She could sense the difference between hers and Gale's relationship. He was different with her, with everyone actually, a little sharper around the edges, especially when you mentioned his back and the activity that had led him to receiving the scars. Maybe it was because he couldn't go into the woods anymore, unable to blow off the steam from the week of soul-sucking, backbreaking work. Maybe because he could have easily died that day, leaving his loved ones vulnerable, without food or a steady income. There were a lot of reasons why Gale could have became this cold, but he wouldn't speak of any of them and that's what hurt.

"Does it still hurt?" She asked, her eyes scanning over his face. She couldn't help herself sometimes. The words of concern would tumble out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Gale's body stiffened and she watched as a look of annoyance swept over his face. "Yes," he started, "No. Sometimes. It doesn't matter. Stop asking."

His response quieted her. Things were better if she just shut up and kept her thoughts to herself for now. It would get better. He'd get better eventually and then everything would be okay.

She hated how his back had turned into a block between them, how she couldn't even mention it because for the most part he refused to talk about it with anyone, even his own mother, who was constantly telling her to be patient with him. To remember the man he was before, keep the memory of how he loved her, and that he would return to her in time. Madge didn't have any problems with the idea of waiting for things to get better with Gale. He had waited months for her to get her head straight. Now it was her turn. She'd wait until the end of time if she had to.

Things were just not the same at the moment and she'd have to adjust. Life changed and you just had to keep up. He hadn't even wanted her to accompany him to the Everdeen's for Mrs. Everdeen to check up on his back, but she'd insisted. Part of her thought that if they just spent as much time together, she could heal him, like he'd healed her. Maybe she was just being naïve.

They knocked on the door, and Mrs. Everdeen appeared at the door, a small smile on her lips as she looked down at their clasped hands. No doubt she saw herself and her husband in the couple. She probably thought he was doing better, but he wasn't, at least not mentally. She probably thought that Madge's love was doing him good, helping him get over this rut he was in. Maybe her mother was right, love just wasn't enough sometimes. He was as distant as ever and more irritable than she'd ever known him to be.

"Come on in," She gestured for Gale to sit down and asked him to remove his shirt.

Gale turned to Madge, looking down and avoiding eye contact before he asked, "Do you think you could wait outside- or go home? I'll meet you back there, or I'll just see you tomorrow." She stared at him, a blank expression on her face. She couldn't believe her ears. This was really how it was going to be. He was going to keep her at arms length now.

She waited outside, leaning on the doorframe, the cold wind whipping across her face. It was starting to hurt, but she could hardly feel it. She was upset. There was a dull ache in her chest one that she'd never felt before. This wasn't how it was supposed to be with Gale. They were supposed to defy the odds of heartbreak, but their outlook seemed bleak. She understood that Gale was hurting, but she was hurting too. Hell, everyone was hurting, watching him like that.

She couldn't even imagine what it had been like for Katniss, to see someone she loved tortured like that. But he wasn't talking to her either. He came home from the mines and that was that, unless he had to go to the Everdeen's for a check-up. After school, she'd go to the Hawthorne's to wait for Gale. She'd spend her time with his siblings, giving away the attention their eldest brother usually reserved for them. They'd play games and it was the best part of her day now that Gale had turned into this numb self, a shell of himself.

The door began to open, and she saw Gale's open shirt. It was just a bit, but she could see the scar of one of the slashes on his shoulder, where the whip had curled around, biting on the skin of his shoulder as well. Gale saw where her eyes lingered and cursed aloud.

"Don't look at me like that," he whispered harshly, quickly buttoning his shirt.

"Like what? Oh don't tell me, I can't even look at you now. I can hardly touch you; kisses are basically out the window, now I can't even _look _at you."

"You know what I meant, don't act so wounded."

She laughed, "Oh yeah, none of us can act wounded because that's your role."

He growled, "Madge, stop. Just let this conversation go. I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine. We won't talk about it. We'll talk about why you can't stand when I touch you, why you tense up. Is that a more suitable conversation for you?"

"You know why."

"Gale, if I knew why I wouldn't waste my time asking."

"If we start you won't stop."

Her eyes widened. "_I_won't stop?"

"Yeah you won't stop. You're more experienced than I am and that's what you want."

She looked away from him, "Is that what this is about? The insatiable whore needs pleasing and she won't stop until she gets what she wants." She wanted to note that he wasn't a virgin anymore, that they were on the same level now, but that wouldn't help at all. She wanted to ask what happened to the Gale who couldn't wait to 'finish her off.' "Please, Gale, get over yourself. I fought a blizzard for you to save your life. I told you I loved you. If you really think that all I want from you is that then we are not on the same page." She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.

"Madge, don't. Don't walk away like this." This was the most emotion he had showed in the past few weeks.

"Gale, I just think that maybe you need some time alone to sort yourself out."

"N-no. I don't I promise. I'll be good. I'll be better." He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her against him. "I just got you, I don't want to lose you. I'm so sorry, please. Don't do this."

She looked up at him, running her hand down the side of his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here waiting for when you get things settled, but you need time to figure things out."

"I don't need time, I need you." The words are said against her forehead, she could feel the movement of his lips as they formed every word.

She looked up at him sadly, she knew that her bottom lip was beginning to quiver and she also knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. This had to happen. It was for the best and it would only be a little while. He'd find his way back to her. She had to trust that.

She pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes, planting a firm kiss on the fleshy part of his cheek. "Until we meet again." This was no goodbye.

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**Don't hate me. It's only for a little while! **


	17. Take

**First day of school tomorrow! I won't be changing the POV for the main story, but if anyone wants any scenes in a particular POV I would gladly do it and put it up in a side-extras kind of thing. **

**Thanks! See you soon! Thanks for reading!**

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Chapter Seventeen

She knew he was coming, expected it even, she had hardly strayed far from the front door, awaiting his arrival. Pacing the floors, until she had to force herself to sit down. More like her father forced her to sit, mumbling that she'd burn through the hardwood floors.

The news had hit her particularly hard as well. It had been quite a shock. They didn't deserve this. In fact, they'd surely die this time. There was no out for either of her friends. They were doomed lovers from the start, completely and utterly hopeless, worse than Romeo and Juliet.

She didn't cry though. Instead she racked her brain trying to figure out a way to help them, give them an advantage in the games. They weren't just going up any old group of Panem citizens; they were going against victors, victors who had plenty of time to form friendships and alliances. Her friends were at an automatic disadvantage, not even to mention Peeta's disadvantage in the form of only having one leg.

It was obvious that if Peeta were the one to enter the games instead of Katniss than his plan would be to save her and vise versa for Katniss, though her fate was set in stone, she was entering the arena once again with or without Peeta. By the time Peeta arrived her nails were down to stubs and she didn't have any idea how she could help them.

The door knocked loudly and she moved quicky to answer it. Peeta locked eyes with her; his were stony in a way she had never seen before. She didn't ask how he was doing; she knew better than that. His life was shit at this point and nothing she could say could get it out of the gutter. There wouldn't be two victors this time; that much they were sure of.

Instead she asked if he wanted some tea and moved to make it.

"I brought red velvet cake." He placed the cake on the breakfast bar, sitting on a stool. "I eat when I'm worried."

She let out a small laugh as she sat opposite him, setting two forks beside them.

"No plates?"

She grinned. "Too good to eat right off the platter, Peet?"

He smiled back. "I guess not." Madge watched as his fork punctured the cake, through the off-white cream cheese frosting and into the blood red cake. "Stop watching me." The words came out muffled by the food in his mouth.

"I'm not."

"Yes you are. You're waiting, waiting for me to fall apart. It's not going to happen. I have to be strong for her. Do you think I'm an asshole?"

She shook her head. Peeta was the last person she thought of when she thought of assholes.

"I just think she's going to freak out when I tell her my plan to save her. Her family needs her. Gale needs her. His family needs her. No one needs me, Madge." He paused, but didn't even look at her. "Don't even look at me like that. I'm not even saying it to be some self-deprecating prick. It's a fact. No one needs me. My life is worth less than hers-"

Madge interjected, shooting him a pointed look. "Now that's not true Peeta Mellark."

He laughed. "God, when you look like that you really do look exactly like your mother."

Both blondes stopped. Madge felt her heart constrict. She tried not to think about her mother anymore, the pain was just too much, but she was everywhere, in everything Madge saw.

Peeta stood and wrapped her in his arms. He mumbled his condolences into her hair. They stood like that for a few seconds. Peeta knew how much her mother meant to her. In fact, her mother had meant a lot to him as well. In their youth, she had always played along with their childish games, staying on the couch cushions to avoid the lava, helping to build forts in the living room. He had always avoided being home as much as possible, and then he was too old to avoid it and was forced to work alongside the woman he had dodged.

Madge wiped a few stray tears and pushed Peeta into his seat. "How's Katniss doing?"

"Badly. She's drinking the night away with Haymitch." The blonde clenched his fists, but his eyes are sad. "I wish she'd have come to me, instead. We're in this together, but all she does is push me away. I just keep coming back to the same thought: I'm yours already and you're mine. Let's just not fuck around. We don't have the time for that. I just want to spend my last few days with her."

She doesn't tell him that Katniss isn't like that, can tell the girl feels indebted to Peeta for saving her ass the first time around and will feel the need to repay that debt with her own life. Instead, she just nodded in understanding and took a bite of the cake.

The tea kettle's scream echoed throughout the kitchen, shaking them from their individual thoughts.

"Where's Gale?" Peeta asked innocently. She had forgotten that no one else knew about their break. If anyone knew it was Gale's doing; she had yet to tell anyone, spending their time away from each other on her own.

Madge shook her head, preparing the tea. "We're taking some time apart." Peeta's dark blonde eyebrows furrowed in confusion; his expression asked the question for him. I don't know how to explain it. He hasn't been himself since the whipping; he's been moody, constantly snapping at everyone around him, especially if they asked about his back. He won't spend any time with his family. All he does is lay down in his room and sulk. By being with him I'm enabling that kind of behavior. He needed to know that his behavior affects the people around him." She turned away from Peeta. "I don't know. Sometimes I think I made the wrong decision, that I should have waited with him, helped him through it." She took a deep breath. "I feel like I abandoned him when he needed me most." The somber blonde placed both of the mugs on the counter.

The baker shook his head and placed his warm, reassuring hand atop hers. "He'll figure things out. I can't tell you I know anything about your relationship because I don't and I won't pretend I do, but I can see the way he looks at you. You're his saving grace and he'd do anything to get back to you and if that means sorting himself out than I'm sure that's the first thing on his to-do list." He paused. "Sometimes we need a little push. I think seeing you gone will be the push he needs. It's not as if you completely abandoned him either Madge. It's just a break, right?"

"Yeah, but a break is just one word away from a break-up."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about when it comes to Gale Hawthorne. Well he's not messing around when it comes to you."

* * *

Madge smiled, walking up the stairs to her bedroom after seeing Peeta out. All she wanted to do was have a well-rested sleep, and her talk with Peeta would hopefully do the trick. She missed the blonde baker. They didn't always keep up with each other, but since they were pre-teens they had made sure to promise each other time together every other month, though back then it was mostly Madge bringing candy for them to eat in the back of the bakery for a few hours. She had always liked to visit, as Mrs. Mellark wouldn't yell or hit Peeta in her presence. The woman was waiting for the pair to date, constantly pressing Peeta about it.

But he wasn't living with them anymore, a good and bad thing. Good because he would no longer have to face the physical and mental abuse of his mother. Bad because it meant that it was a constant reminder of the obstacles he had to face in order to get where he was and that he wouldn't be in that house any longer, would most likely not see his family after he entered the games, or anyone else when the games were over.

Madge braced herself when she heard shuffling within her room, maybe a bird had flown through the open window; it had happened before. What she hadn't expected was Gale Hawthorne to be looking back at her, hair astray and eyes boring into hers so intensely she could physically feel it.

"Are you okay?" She asked, knowing exactly what he was doing in her room.

He shook his head, and sat at the edge of her bed, his head in his hands. "I just keep fucking everything up."

She sat beside him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"I told my four-year-old sister that Katniss was going to die, but she doesn't even know what that means, so when she asked I said that Katniss was leaving forever. Now my sister doesn't even particularly like Katniss, but I think the prospect of never seeing her again did not sit well with her because she refuses to talk to me. Not to mention that my best friend would rather drink with an alcoholic than come to me with her problems. Am I really that surly and fucking disagreeable that my best friend wouldn't even come to me with this? I guess I must be because you want time away from me and everyone in my family can't stand me."

"You're taking everything the wrong way."

"How am I taking it the wrong way Madge? Everyone fucking hates me now. I'm the one who got whipped and no one has been here for me."

She moved away from him, instantly taken aback by the words coming from his mouth. He looked up from his hands as he saw her stand up. "What are you even doing here if all I've been doing is neglecting and rejecting you? Huh?"

"I don't know, okay!" He stood up alongside her. "Maybe I thought you'd treat me to some fucking tea and cake like Mellark over there."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh my fucking God. You are not seriously bringing him up right now. This isn't about Peeta Mellark, this is about you, Gale Hawthorne."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I am bringing him up. Replacing me so soon? Do you have something against Katniss or what? Because all you do is take the men from her life."

It took everything in her not to slap him across his stupid handsome face. He would've deserved it too. Instead she turned away from him, taking a deep breath, before returning back to face him. "I'm sorry you feel like we've all abandoned-"

"That's a bullshit apology and you know it."

She sighed, exasperated. "Yes it is because you are insufferable, Gale! You are so angry all the time and we all understand it. We're all just as angry, but you-you take it out on everyone you love. You made Vick cry and then told him to man up, that he was too young to be crying like a baby and if that wasn't enough you kept rubbing it in his face, bringing it up constantly. You're unhappy. We get that, but what do you want us to do about it?" At the start of her rant she had been yelling right back at him, but she didn't have the strength anymore. Her volume of her voice had fallen to a low whisper. She turned away from him, fighting tears. "You're so angry all the time and I don't want to be there to see it devour you, and it will."

He groaned. "I'm allowed to be angry. Do you wanna see what they did to me? I know you've been dying to see my back, like the rest of them." He hastily unbuttoned his mining shirt and removed his undershirt. He turned, his back now facing her. If she wanted to see it, he'd give her the reason behind his rage. "Look at what they did to me!" His angry yells echoed throughout the room, but she still wasn't looking, her eyes on the floor, tracing the pattern of the rug.

"I don't need to see your back to see what they've done to you," she whispered, her voice calm.

He was suddenly embarrassed, dressing in both of his shirts quickly. He avoided her gaze, rubbing the stubble along his jaw. It didn't take her long to turn away from him, moving to her dresser where she grabbed a navy colored nightgown.

"If you're going to stay the night, you should remove your pants. I don't want them to scratch up my legs." She turned, her back to him, and he watched as she removed her dress, left only in her full silk slip, but soon that was gone too. His eyes moved all over her body, his eyes lingered on the flawless skin of her back. He watched as it became completely bare as she shed her bra and then as it was covered by her cotton nightgown. He felt the overcoming ache that went along with her absence. She might be in the same room with him, but she wasn't his anymore. She might as well be hundreds of miles away with the emotional distance he'd forced between them.

The sound of her feet padding throughout the room took him away from his thoughts. Out of his peripherals he saw her move toward her bed, tucking herself in.

Gale sat at the edge of her bed, unlacing his work boots. He could feel her eyes on him as he removed his mining shirt and pants. But he couldn't face her when he slipped under the covers, couldn't bare the look in her eyes. They laid in silence, but after a few minutes he felt her fingers on the edge of the collar of his shirt. The thin fingers moved across his skin, slowly and lightly, but he could feel the electricity of them nonetheless. He knew their path and didn't tense this time when they came in contact with the edge of the whipping scar where the torture instrument had curled around from his back to the side of his neck, making it visible beyond the concealment his shirt provided. He felt the pressure on the bed change as she moved forward, her lips on the shell of his ear.

"Don't let them take you away from me," she whispered, before moving back to her original place on the bed, her gentle fingers returning with her.

He could hear the desperation in her voice, the subtle pleading in it. He couldn't do that to her, wouldn't do that to her anymore.

No one would take her away from him.

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**Review please!**


	18. Be Your Man

**Yay updates! **

**I would've had this up sooner, but I've been a bad updater. **

**I'm going to try and update every Tuesday or Wednesday with this story.**

**Thanks for reading!**

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Chapter Eighteen

He nervously wrung the napkin in his hands. The stupid thing never even stood a chance. Today, like every Wednesday was his only opportunity to see Madge. She'd shuffle in, say hello to everyone, even him, share more than a few words with the victory trio about the information she'd read in the papers, deliver said papers and be out on her way, without giving him a second glance.

Gale knew she still loved him. He had to focus on that fact, keep his mind wrapped around it. When he was feeling particularly down, he forced himself to remember how it had felt when she said she loved him. The words were warm, like a security blanket wrapped around him, soft like the bare expanse of skin that covered her back, and light the way the balloon he bought Posy for her third birthday felt between his fingertips.

When things got dark and he felt himself slipping back into the abyss that's when he thought of her most. The first few days after he had left her house, he found himself retreating to that dark place more than ever. He was still furious afterwards. He felt the anger; it was as real as the pain in his back. It was akin to stubbing your toe on a piece of furniture, that fleeting moment of fury that came along with the intense pain. For Gale that fury wasn't fleeting, it was all encompassing, not to mention the pain. But then he saw her turning her back on him when he tried to show her his back. He'd never know the look she had on her face, but her voice, the tone of her voice was embedded in his mind. She was solemn and hurt. Gale couldn't stand hurting her, not like all the other men in her life had done before him. He had always told himself he would be different, so much for that.

They were in love. He knew that much. It couldn't have changed in the last month. That just wasn't possible. Yes, he'd spent the last few weeks away from her, trying to figure himself out. Fix the parts of himself that may be damaged or broken. Fix the relationships that he'd left in disrepair by his actions. It was harder than he thought. Getting Posy back on his side was the simplest. All he had to do was give her a few piggyback rides and read her a story every night for a few days and she was set.

The rest of them weren't as easy. Rory was at least talking to him. He was the least affected by his verbal lashings, except he had seen how they affected the ones he loved. He had seen Vick's despondency and reluctance to speak when Gale was present. He and Vick were the closest after all.

His mother and Vick would be the roughest, naturally. His mother had seen her eldest son, her second in command, fall apart at the seams and watched as he took his family members along with him.

She could take the back talk, as a mother she was always prepared for some back talk, but to see her children hurt by one of the people they most admired, well she wouldn't sit by and watch that happen. She was thankful when he had come home, sullen but determined to right his wrongs. Hazelle had made sure to thank Madge personally, spending an afternoon with just the girls. It was nice to spend time with the young lady who was in love with her son, which she still was and forever would be. Even if her son was unsure of himself, she wasn't. That girl wasn't just smitten by her son's rugged good looks and goofy smile; she was all in. She was sure if when things between them were settled he asked her to marry him she would. She would leave her life in Town for one in the Seam and never look back, regretless and happy. That's just how in love with Gale she was.

Vick was the most reluctant to let his eldest brother back in. He had insulted him in the worst kind of way and Gale was ashamed for it. He couldn't stand the way Vick avoided making eye contact with him now. Instead, his brother walked around the house, one of Madge's books in hand. No one else would have noticed the difference in him, except Gale. The youngest Hawthorne boy wasn't eager to share the tales he was so enthralled with anymore, not to him at least, choosing to tell his other siblings instead. It was a slow and arduous task, but Vick was beginning to warm up to him again. The other day he had almost forgotten he was upset with Gale and jumped up at the sight of him to begin to share his stories, but as soon as he caught himself in the air did he sit back down, burying his nose back in the book.

But Gale knew he was better now. The constant need to lash out at his family wasn't exactly gone, but he fought it off a lot easier than he had before. He wouldn't allow himself to lash out at the ones he loved like he had before, at least not if he could help it.

The Everdeen household was empty at the moment. Gale had been helping them with snares and overall training, but today was instructed to stay in the house to receive any newspaper articles Madge brought over. At first, the thought of seeing Madge, having a one-on-one conversation with the blonde of his dreams made his heart soar, but now his heart had sunk down to his stomach. He was nervous to say the least, which was why the napkin in his hands was now being torn to shreds its remnants scattered across the table.

He could feel his heart thumping within his ribcage when the door cracked opened, after the first week Madge had done away with knocking on the familiar household's door. Gale watched as her lips pursed as she looked around the house, trying to find someone. He had sat still; she still hadn't seen him. He was scared, that was obvious enough. Every single possible outcome to their situation had gone through his mind for the last hour he had been waiting for her, except this one. He never did factor in her just not seeing him. The table was off to the side, hidden away in the corner of the kitchen, where they had never met to discuss anything anyway. They usually met in the living room, where Madge laid her papers out on the coffee table for the victors to see and consider.

From his hidden place at the table he could see her in the kitchen, her bag on the countertop, and her arms outstretched reaching into the cupboard. Her legs looked especially good from his angle. She was on her tippy toes and she still couldn't even begin to reach the tealeaves located on the third shelf. He smiled to himself when a few expletives escaped her perfect lips.

Gale was thankful for his quiet hunter's steps because when he reached over her for the tin of tealeaves. Her body both tensed and relaxed when he came in contact with it. It was the oddest thing and he sure couldn't explain it, but he could sense it, sense her mind's reluctance to accept him being beside her, but know her body was more than happy to oblige his presence.

He was glad for all her grace and knowledge of the status of their relationship at least now he had the upper hand, would take advantage of her surprise.

She turned to face him, shock written all over her delicate features. "H-Hello Gale."

He nodded toward her, "Hey Madge."

His eyes followed her outstretched hand as it came toward him, but it lingered on her face while she fixed his collar. He relished as the tops of her knuckles unintentionally came in contact with the sensitive skin on his neck. He felt his body responding to her, beyond his own conscious doing; his body naturally leaned toward her hand, even though it didn't move as surely as it usually did over his body.

"You can't just dance around me," he murmured sadly. This wasn't how he pictured this going, not in his heart of hearts. She was supposed to look in his eyes and jump into his arms, not fix his collar awkwardly.

She shook her head, turning back to prepare the tea. "I'm not."

"Then why won't you stay? You bring your papers and you leave, just hello and goodbye. Do you not want me around when you come around?"

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" He could feel his voice rising, so he stopped himself taking in an exasperated breath. "Don't you know how hard it is for me?"

She nodded. "Probably as hard it is for me." His breath was moving the hair running down her back, that's how close he was to her.

"I would do anything to feel your touch again. I just can't take you being around me like this and not being able to truly have you."

He could see her breath hitch; physically see the sharp intake of breathe, but she didn't respond.

"Are you punishing me?" He let the question hang in the air, wanting an answer from her, though it was obviously one she wasn't willing to give. "I know I hurt you, but everyone else has started to forgive me why can't you? What do you want? Whatever it is you want I'll do it. Do I need to capture your heart again? Is that it? Did I lose it? I know I already said it, but I'll say it again to drive the point home. I will do whatever you need me to. I just need you back."

He turned away from her; no longer able to withstand the cold shoulder she was giving him. "I still wanna be your man. That's all I want, Madge. I've tried everything, just to soothe that hole in my heart, but there's nothing to relieve it. Just you and only you." He paused, running his hand through his hair before turning back toward her. Her back was still to him, but now her head was turned toward him. Her profile made available to him, some semblance of progress. "Sometimes nothing comes out right, y'know? I'm better now though. I mean it when I said it before, everyone is starting to talk to me again, not Vick yet, but he will soon." They stood in silence for a few extended moments before he finished with, "You're running out of excuses. You know I'll give you the very best I can if you'll only let me, forever."

Even with her back to him her hand still found his, intertwining their fingers.

He took a step toward her, closing in on her. He wanted to kiss her again, he missed her soft lips moving against his, the soft moans that escaped her lips as well, reverberating through their joined mouths.

With blue eyes that shone brighter than any jewel he'd ever seen, she whispered, "Forever." It almost sounded like a question, or maybe like affirming a promise, whichever it was Gale gladly responded likewise before pressing his lips to hers.

He wished he could take a snapshot of this moment and all the feelings it emoted. He wanted to remember everything he could: how good she looked in that blue dress, from the top of her ribboned-up hair to the bottom of her sandals, the small hand pressed against his chest, while the other twirled the ends of his hair around her fingers, tugging lightly at the grown out strands, her breasts being pushed against his chest, God how he had missed the feeling of that, along with the growl in his throat at the feeling along with the lightness in his chest from her soft pink lips being pressed against his.

When they pulled away from each other it was almost too soon for him, so he pressed lingering kisses on her still parted lips, only separated by the repetition of a word: forever.

* * *

**Expect some lemons next chapter. Fair warning!**

**Update please and it'll be an extensive and ****_detailed_scene ;)**

**Thanks!**


	19. Twin Flames

**Forgive the smut. It's probably awful.**

**But I hope you appreciate the rest!**

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

She was being stupid, that much she knew. Instead of being happy that they were together again she couldn't help but remember the last conversation they'd had in her bedroom, the way he looked at her with such disdain. They had been in the same room, but they might as well have been miles away. They were disconnected back then. He wasn't like that anymore. Things were better now. They were better now.

Gale knew there was something wrong. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her bottom lip was between her teeth and her body was tense against his. He didn't like how it made him feel, her body against his, but she wasn't comfortable; she wouldn't let herself relax in his arms. He could feel the pang of hurt in his chest.

"What's wrong?" He craned his neck in attempt to examine her face better. Her back was pressed to his chest and his arms were loosely wrapped around her waist. Part of him was nervous, knowing she wasn't as comfortable with him as she had been. The cautious part of him held her, but kept his distance at the same time, but the other part of him just wanted to crush her against him, feel her against him, kiss her all over and learn her body all over again. To reunite in the most intimate way possible; he'd been dreaming of it constantly. But all in all he would give Madge her space. He just wanted to be close to her again after being apart for what seemed like so long.

She turned to better face him. "I'm so scared of you."

Gale furrowed his eyebrows. He was speechless, unsure of how she meant it, though anyway she meant it was bad. If she meant it referring to him physically harming her than he had really done some damage when he wasn't well. And if she meant emotionally than it was just as bad, maybe worse. It had taken them so long to get to this place in their relationship. They had worked so hard. He had spent so much time and effort breaking down her walls and the thought that he had given her the bricks and mortar to build another wall in its place made his insides twist.

The blonde had turned in full to face him. She was kneeling on the bed, still in between his legs. "You have so much power over me. I know now why my mother was scared for me. You have me, all of me. You could do whatever you wanted with me and I wouldn't say a word."

"I know I fucked up-" he started, but she interrupted, pressing her fingers to his lips.

"You've always been the one," she paused momentarily, finding her words, "the one who knew. You knew the risks of loving me. Yet you didn't even care. You didn't think twice you just dived in headfirst. You've always been the brave one. You've always been something else. And then I realized it. I finally got it. You were the one for me. You were it, what my mother always warned me against, the kind of man that would take away my options, the kind who I'd give my heart to without even knowing. And then a few days after, it had just been a few days after I confessed that you changed. You said that I left you, when you left _me_ out here all on my own. You didn't want me there to help you." She cupped his cheek. "You were drowning in your ire, but you weren't reaching out for us to help you out, you were dragging us down there with you. It hurt Gale. It hurt so goddamn much. I know you know you hurt us. I know you're sorry. I just-I don't even know why I'm telling you this I just thought I should get it off my chest." She pressed her forehead against his. Worry was written all over his face. "There only has ever been one option for me and it was you. You're the one who has to choose again. I've always chosen you."

He brought his hands up, both palming the side of her face, his eyes never leaving hers. His words kept catching in his throat each time he tried to speak aloud. He had so many words to say, and none of them would move past his lips. He was guilty, so guilty. She had given him her heart and he had tossed it aside. After knowing how reluctant she had been in the first place, how she had been taught that love would only lead to pain. It was stitched into her fucking mind not to fall in love with him, not to fall in love period, just as clear as any of her embroideries. She had seen the horrors of loving all throughout her life. Her sick mother and her cheating father. A firsthand account of why you shouldn't give yourself to another, that it would only lead to heartbreak. But then she saw the light, finally came around to see what they could have together, what they did have together.

He had almost let them win. Let them take him away from her.

"I just," she looked up, through her impossibly long and thick eyelashes, into this eyes. "I want you to know what I've given you, what I've chosen." She laughed. "I don't think I ever had a choice."

"Fate," he murmured. "Written in the stars."

"Do you know anything about twin flames?"

The miner shook his head, unfamiliar with the term.

"It's kind of complicated, but basically you, each of us, have half of a soul within us and our twin flame is the person with the other half of it. Two halves of one soul. You only have one twin flame. You're literally made for each other. You live life after life just striving to become one with your twin flame. You could meet in one life and nothing could come of it. You could just not work out. They're supposed to be very difficult relationships, too intense for most, your highest highs and your lowest lows. That's why it takes so many lives for it to finally work out."

"Are we twin flames?" Her hands were within his now, linked together.

"There's nothing that explicitly says we are, but yes, we most definitely are. Usually one of them is apprehensive toward the relationship," she gestured to herself with their linked hands, "while the other is more confident and sure of the relationship," gesturing to Gale.

He raised his head, softly kissing her lips. When he pulled away his eyes swept over her before he brought her to him, "Is that why we fit together so perfectly?" She grinned, burying her face into his shoulder. "Is that why I can't get enough of kissing you?" He peppered kisses all over her exposed neck. She withdrew from his shoulder. It felt like she could see right into his soul. "Is that why I felt like I couldn't breathe when we were apart? Like I was missing a vital part of myself?"

She nodded and he could see there were tears brimming her eyes. He couldn't stand it anymore. He needed her right now. He brought her mouth down to his and moved forward. Following his lead, she fell backwards so he was hovering above her, their lips never leaving each other's.

A small delicate hand pressed against the back of his neck, deepening their kiss. The accompanying hand moved underneath his shirt, her nails lightly scraping against the small hills and valleys that made up his abs.

When they parted, both were breathing heavy, staring into each other's eyes, mirroring each other's darkened eyes. It wasn't just lust between them. It was the need to be joined. Two halves of one soul being united again, after so long. Who knew how many lives they had lived apart.

He had never felt more whole than that night when she had taken his virginity; she had been so patient and understanding, guiding him all the way through.

She grinned as she rid him of his shirt. "I have no patience for you being clothed."

He threw his head back, chuckling. "I'd say the same for you." His fingers found the hem of her dress, bringing it up over her head. He looked down at the beauty laid out before him. His hands skimmed down her sides, slowly. He was taking his time this time, making sure to take note of every part of her. He wanted to know every part of her body, be able to map it out in his mind, have it engrained in his memory for the rest of his life.

Madge's fingers were at his hips now, quickly relieving him of the pressure on his manhood caused by the pants. He breathed out, and quickly back in when she reached into his boxer shorts and grasped him within her small hands, his breathe catching.

He kissed down her neck, lingering on her favored spots. The action elicited a few moans from his beloved's lips. One of his hands moved behind her back, unsnapping her bra. He was already bare at this point and she needed to catch up quick as far as he was concerned. He needed to see her, needed to feel every part of her. His hands sought out the newly uncovered flesh, cupping it within them. His thumbs ran over her stiff nipples, before he lowered his mouth to replace one of them. Her back arched, bringing the flesh further into his mouth, running his tongue over the stiff peak. His other hand followed the curve of her waist down to the edge of her hip, hooking the fabric that covered it to lower the offending cloth down to her ankles. On its way back up, it traveled much slower, crawling up her shapely legs. It paused at her hip, and he rubbed circles over the sharp bones.

His mouth moved to her other breast. Madge moaned as his mouth made contact. He loved the noises that escaped her while in the throes of lovemaking, so much that he always wanted to hear more, would never tire of them. As to achieve this he moved his hand down to her core. He hand hadn't even made contact before he felt the heat radiating off her. It caused him to groan. He slipped in a finger, smiling into her breast at the cry she released.

Her hand tightened on his shaft before she unhurriedly dragged her fist up and down the hard flesh.

At the new sensation, Gale released her breast from his mouth and his lips trailed down her stomach, forcing her to let go of his manhood. She knew where this was going and it seemed as if she were holding her breath for when he reached his destination.

He was no master of the art of cunnilingus, but he knew the basic anatomy of a woman. If anything practice made perfect, and they had the rest of their lives to practice. He was looking forward to it.

He dragged his tongue down and then back up her slit. He even loved the way she tasted, salty and sweet, he had always loved the combination. She raised her hips to meet his lips. Her body was writhing underneath him, so much he had to hold it down. His ministrations didn't last long before she demanded he ascend back up her body, growling for him to "get back up here." He was eager to oblige her demands.

The blonde grabbed his face, pressing her lips against his. Their tongues swirled together as he rubbed circles into her hips. They lay together, kissing and touching for quite a while. Gale could never tire of her skillful mouth.

Madge moved her mouth down, trailing down his jaw, her lips following the well-sculpted path. He groaned as she sucked and bit down on the sensitive skin that covered his neck.

He groaned as her hand found his shaft again. He was impossibly hard now. His appendage aching for her, it throbbed in her grasp.

"Ready?" She asked into the skin of his neck.

He nodded. "Always."

They both shared a sharp intake of breath as she brought him to her opening. It was slick and hot. They had hardly started and he was already sweating up a storm.

As he entered her, his body shivered. The feeling of her surrounding him was almost too much. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the pleasure her body caused him. She exhaled quickly as he slowly moved inside her, slowly rocking his hips against hers. Her breath felt cool on his neck where his hair was sticking.

Everything was slow until it wasn't. At first they just slowly moved together. He could feel her eyes on him, but his head was down, concentrating on not losing it yet. He was still hovering over her, a single inch between their damp bodies, both slick with sweat by this point. They mirrored each other's movements, moving together. The friction between them caused him to groan. When he looked toward her face, finally trusting himself that he wouldn't finish if he looked upon her gorgeous face and eyes filled with lust. Her eyes shone with lust, as he had expected, but the love in her eyes was clear. The thought of this beautiful woman having affection for only him was almost too much. He was hers. This fucking gorgeous woman was all his and he was all hers. Her lips were pursed and he knew what she wanted. His lips found hers and he gave her a slow passionate kiss.

He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her body up to meet his. He moved backwards, bringing them back to their previous position, him sitting up while she straddled him. In this position she was slightly taller than him, but not by much. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as her body rocked against his.

He wrapped his arms around her again and her fingers ghosted over the skin of his back. Even in the throes of lovemaking she knew better than to dig her fingers into the marred skin or scratch them. She was cautious for him always.

In this position there wasn't a single inch between the couple. He couldn't tell where he started and where she finished. Gale buried his face into the crook of her neck, kissing and nibbling on the skin. Their movements hasty fueled by the heat building within them.

When he heard her cry out finally reaching her peak, Gale thought he could finally die happy, with her satisfied in his arms. But she wasn't done. He felt her pelvis move against his, her eyes open and on his. She was determined and it showed in her eyes as well as her movements. It didn't take much longer; her cry in his ears was enough to bring him there. She stood still. He was still inside her. She kissed him hard on the lips, his bottom lip between hers.

"Two halves of one soul," he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers.

She nodded. "Two halves of one soul."

* * *

**Yay!**


	20. News

**This is basically the Epilogue: Part One**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty

"Madge!" He called out happily, stepping into the house.

He removed his dusty work boots at the entrance, careful not to track any coal dust into the house. Madge hated it. He left them alongside the rest of the shoes piled beside the front door, ranging in size from smallest to biggest, which happened to be his.

They had company.

He cursed himself, how could he forget? They had important news. Well, they've had important news, for a while now.

She stepped out of the kitchen, donning a forest green apron covered in small daisies; it did a good job of hiding her body, much to Gale's dismay. He approached her, leaning down to kiss her. The petite blonde stood on the tips of her toes just to reach his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"How was work?" She asked, tipping her head to the side, looking at him thoughtfully.

Gale groaned, not welcoming any thoughts of the mines.

"That bad?"

He nodded, stretching his back. It helped soothe some of the aches, but they would take some tending to. Take his girl's skillful yet gentle hands to work out all the knots in his back.

Her fingers moved down to finger the lapels of his jacket. "You should get changed, everyone's here. We've been waiting for you."

Gale gave her one last kiss before turning to get changed.

He could hear his family in the dining room, talking up a storm, probably taking up all the room in the small dining area.

When he returned he was greeted by Posy, who ran up to him, embracing his legs. "Gale!" She screamed, as if she hadn't seen him in years.

"Posy!" he exclaimed, picking her up, even though he knew it would exasperate the pain in his back. His youngest sibling was worth the few minutes of pain.

His entire family greeted him similarly, embracing the side of his body that wasn't carrying his sister.

He shook Mr. Undersee's hand, the man didn't look as nervous or uncomfortable as Gale had imagined he would in their small home in the Seam, maybe Madge had him over during the days while he was working.

"Okay," his mother breathed out. "It's nice to see my newly married son, but it'd be even nicer to know why you brought us here for this lovely meal Madge has prepared for us."

Gale laughed. He had always admired how terse his mother could be. He placed his sister on the ground where she walked to his mother who was standing alongside his brothers, while Mr Undersee sat at the other side of the table, staring at the couple.

"Okay," Madge started, tucking herself into his side, an arm wrapped around his waist. "Well we've had some news we've been sitting on, but we didn't want to tell you until we were married." He turned to plant a kiss on her temple, taking over for her.

"Frankly, we were a bit scared, especially of you Ma." He looked over to his mother with furrowed eyebrows. She probably had been guessing since yesterday what her son and daughter-in-law had to tell her and both of their families. He watched as her eyebrows un-furrowed and her eyes filled with joy, looking up at them. She had guessed before he even got another word out.

"You're pregnant aren't you?" She said jumping up expectantly. He had never seen his mother literally jump for joy before.

Madge nodded, smiling. Hazelle approached her, just looking at her, holding her hands in hers before she pulled the pregnant girl in for a hug. When she pulled away she looked down at Madge's stomach. "May I?" She asked.

The blonde removed the bulky apron that had done its job to hide her growing stomach. Her mother-in-law reached down, flattening the dress against her stomach. The bump was small still, easily able to be hidden, but it was there.

"What are you doing, Arthur? Come and embrace your girl!" Hazelle called, stepping away to allow the mayor his time with his daughter.

Gale hugged his mother, thanking her for her congratulations and assuring her they would never keep another bit of news from her for this long again. His siblings came up to hug him as well, but he could tell that they were waiting their turn with Madge's bump. They were more interested in the little nephew or niece growing in Madge's stomach than the man who helped create it.

When he looked over at his wife, she was still wrapped up in her father's embrace. He could see that they were both crying. Gale couldn't blame them, they had a very rocky relationship since had met her and now, for them to be in the same room, for her to call him 'Dad' instead of 'Arthur' and actually care that he know about their lives was a huge step. They were miles away from the distant daughter and father he had known before.

When he pulled away, his hands held his daughter's face. "My little Maddie," he murmured his voice thick from tears. His wife was smiling back, tears falling from her eyes. It was an insanely intimate moment and he forced himself to look away, trying to distract his younger siblings from the moment as well.

He turned his attention to Posy, who needed actual distracting instead of just the instruction to look away. "Are you excited to be an aunt?" He asked, despite knowing she barely knew what that meant since neither or their parents had siblings.

The small girl furrowed her eyebrows, looking just like his mother as she did so. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're going to be very important to the baby in Madge's belly." He poked his sister in her stomach, to which she laughed. "Are you excited to be very important to him or her?"

She nodded, gleefully, though he knew she wouldn't know exactly what he was asking until she was a bit older.

When he looked down to ask Vick the same question, the young boy was gone. He looked over at Madge, seeing the young boy looking up at her, the curiosity evident on his face. Madge was leaning down slightly, enthusiastically answering all of his questions. He watched as his youngest brother reached out placing his hand on her belly, a smile lighting up his face.

"Don't hog her!" Rory yelled out, walking up to lightly push Vick out of the way, which earned a scolding from his mother. Posy asked to be put down and she ran to Madge as well. He hadn't noticed that Mr. Undersee was standing next to him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir?" He asked, nervous. He was still nervous around the mayor; being married to his daughter wouldn't change that.

He looked sad, sad but happy at the same time. "I want to thank you, Gale."

"For what, sir?"

"For making my daughter so happy, for making her a part of a family." Gale moved to cut him off. He was her dad even when she was upset with him; he was still her family. "No, I know she's my flesh and blood, my beautiful daughter, but I don't think she's ever had a real family with her mom being so sick and me being so busy running the district, but here with you and your family, she has the chance for a different life. Just, thank you."

Gale didn't reply. He didn't think he really needed to.

* * *

"Are you excited?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked down the dirt road on their way to Victor's Village.

"I guess. I hope they're happy for us. Everything just happened so suddenly and with the Quarter Quell just around the corner..."

Gale nodded, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "They'll be happy for us. Don't you worry because if they're not it's okay. They've got a lot on their minds and we get that. Nobody has to be happy for us except us, alright?"

"Alright," she leaned in to him.

"You ready?" he asked, walking to the Katniss's door. They had instructed everyone else to meet them there.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Just breathe, Madge. You gotta stay calm for the baby."

"Okay okay," she said taking a deep breath.

Gale knocked, leaning down to press a kiss onto her neck.

"Hey guys," Prim said, a wide smile on her face. "Everyone's waiting for you guys in the living room."

The couple followed behind her, slightly lagging behind. Gale watched as her hand moved down to linger on her stomach. She was wearing the same kind of dress she'd been wearing for the past few weeks, gathered underneath her breasts and flaring out at her stomach. It did a good job of hiding her stomach, but then it made it look like she had something to hide. Hey, no one had noticed as of yet.

"Princess, what are we doing here?" Thom asked.

"We have news," Gale said.

"What? Did you knock her up already?" Thom asked, crude as ever.

Madge opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was shocked and so was he.

"Am I right?" He asked, standing up and walking over to Madge, taking her hands in his.

Madge's eyes just widened. "Are you pregnant?" She didn't say anything, so he turned to Gale. "Is she pregnant?"

Gale nodded, smiling. "Yeah, she's with child."

"Oh shit!" He heard Peeta yell and suddenly he was at his best friend's side. "That's amazing!"

The Everdeen girls were a little more reserved, but when Katniss gestured for Prim to move forward the girl ran to him, wrapping him up in an embrace.

"Oh my God, you're going to be a daddy!"

Even though Gale knew what the baby in Madge's stomach meant that didn't mean every time it was said it didn't hit him like a ton of bricks. He was going to be someone's father. He could only hope that he would be as good of a father as his father was to him. In fourteen years, his father had shown him everything he needed to know. Sometimes he wondered how much more he would know if his father had only been around longer. But he was thankful for the time he had with his father, he'd had a lot longer time with him than his siblings.

When Prim stepped away, Gale eyed Katniss. His best friend approached him shyly, a soft smile on her lips before she wrapped her arms around him.

"You'll be an amazing father," was all she said and that's all he needed from her. Katniss knew good dads, she'd had one herself and if she thought that he would be a good father then that's all he needed to hear.


	21. Endings

_Sorry I've been away for so long. School. Midterms week. And I've had a really hard writing this last chapter. It's short and sweet. _

_I hope you enjoy it! I've loved writing this story and I hope you loved reading it!_

_Thanks for sticking around!_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

"Is anyone home?" She asked, stepping into the seemingly empty house. There was no answer. Gale must have left with Aurora. "If you're home and not helping the pregnant woman carry groceries in then I will be mad, Gale!"

Madge shrugged her shoulders. She reached for the wall, flipping on the light switch.

"Surprise!" Her husband and daughter, just the two of them, screamed in unison.

"You know my birthday's not until tomorrow, right?"

Their daughter ran toward her, her dark curls bouncing with each step. She looked exactly like Gale, tanned skin, hair as dark as night, and the same grey eyes she fell in love with, but the curls in her hair were all Madge. "Happy birtday mommy!"

She picked the small girl up, allowing her to plant a few sloppy kisses on her cheek. "You're early, baby. My birthday is tomorrow."

Gale approached his girls, kissing them both of them on the cheek. "She wanted you to be extra surprised. The idea's quite ingenious, such a smarty pants, just like her mother," he said chuckling. "Groceries you say? I'll go bring them in, wouldn't want you to strain yourself." His hand moved down to her stomach.

"Down please," her daughter asked. The toddler grabbed her hand, the scarred one, leading her to the kitchen table. "Presents!" She yelled joyously. Aurora grabbed a piece of folded construction paper handing it to her mother. It was done in her favorite color, lilac, and she already noticed her daughter made extra use of the color purple, such a thoughtful girl. Madge sat at the table, pulling her daughter onto her lap.

"Aw did you do this for me?"

The girl beamed, nodding.

She saw her husband's writing on the front, "Happy Birthday Mommy" written in his signature blocky letters. Her daughter decorated the front with colorful scribbles and balloons. What was a birthday without balloons, she thought smiling.

When she opened the card, she examined the drawing of their three-person family. The drawing was adorable, big heads with arms and legs extending from them. She could tell the figure that was supposed to be Gale was him because he was tallest, the lines extending from his head, much longer than anyone else's. She could tell which one was her, other than that she had blonde hair, was that she was the only one with a body, a huge exaggerated bump where her stomach was.

"There's Ethan!" Her daughter exclaimed, pointing animatedly to the bump. The name sounded more like "eaten," causing her smile to broaden.

"Where's Ethan?" Gale asked, entering the kitchen, arms filled with bags. Madge paid special attention to his bulging muscles. Her husband raised his eyebrows at her obvious leering. If their daughter wasn't on their lap she could imagine him sauntering up to her, his mouth on her ear, whispering that he wasn't an object for her to ogle. She'd counter that their marriage certificate said otherwise.

"Right here!" Aurora yelled pointing to her mother's protruding belly.

"Are you ready for your cake?" Gale asked looking at his wife.

She nodded, giggling as her daughter chanted, "Cake," until Gale handed her a piece.

* * *

"My mom said happy early birthday," Gale stated, closing the door quietly behind him. "She's going to call you tomorrow anyway. I don't know why she just didn't wait until then."

"Your mother is thorough if anything."

He nodded, coming up to stand behind her. Madge felt his breath against her neck, raising the hair on the back of her neck. He always favored her right side. She knew why too. That's the side that was burned in the bombing. The scars covered her right arm, from the tip of her fingers to the edge of her chin.

Sometimes if she was particularly stressed, when she closed her eyes her nostrils filled with the scent of her own flesh burning, the smoke filling her lungs. She could hear herself whining for Gale. He hadn't found her, but not for lack of trying. Her husband ran from the mines to their home to find her gone. After the first bomb dropped, Madge had left for the Hawthorne's. It was the closest place she could think of and Gale would find her there. She had left a note for him, hoping their house wasn't blown to bits before he could find it. She hadn't made it all the way to her mother-in-law's. A bomb didn't hit her, but the burning debris sure did. She was trapped under the burning wall. Two of Gale's co-workers had found her, helping carry her to the meadow, trying their best not to hurt her burned flesh. When she found him he was crying. She'd never seen her husband cry, at their toasting she had seen the tears glistening in his eyes but they never spilled over. But this sight broke her, her husband crying, head buried into his mother's shoulder. Vick had seen her first, the young boy running toward her, hugging her legs. At the sound of his wife's name he looked up, probably expecting his brother to be mistaken, confusing Madge for another girl from Town, but he had looked up anyway just in case. At the sight of her he was immobile, watching as his brother led her to their family. She had approached him, wiping the tears from his eyes. He had never looked more beautiful to her than. His eyes red from crying, hair disheveled, but the relief in his eyes evident. They could've lost each other.

"Do you ever think about the bombing?" she asked, her hand over his.

She felt Gale's arms wrap around her mid-section, his hands on her stomach. "All the time. I thought I'd lost you and Aurora. I've never felt so lost, so empty. I knew you weren't gone. I could feel that you were still alive. I just knew, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I was so lost. My mom forced me to stop looking. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stopped. I shouldn't have stopped until I found you."

Madge turned around, holding his head in her hands. "That's ridiculous. You could've gotten injured looking for me, could've died. I don't want to hear you ever blame yourself again. Do you understand me?"

He gave a slight nod, leaning in to kiss her. "I just don't know what I would've done."

"And you won't find out. I'm too stubborn to die," she murmured. Gale gave a small laugh. She rose from the chair at her vanity, grabbing his hand to lead him to the bed. Gale wrapped his arms around her, tucking his head into her neck. His breath skimmed across her skin, causing her to involuntarily shiver. She could feel his grin.

He grabbed the hem of her nightgown, pulling the satin over her legs and belly. "I love your body when you're pregnant." She felt his hands move from the edge of her hip to rest on her belly. "It's sexy."

"Sexy?" She asked, turning her head a bit.

"Yes, sexy. You have this look about you when you're pregnant. You just radiate. It was the same when you were pregnant with Ror. So beautiful." He murmured, kissing along the length of her neck. "My sweet, gorgeous, Wildflower. I love you so much."

"I love you too, my other half," she responded, completely happy and satisfied with every aspect of her amazing life.


End file.
